Chapter 11: Out of answers

"Where is Peter?" asked Nathan.

"Who?"

"Peter. My brother. Peter Petrelli."

"There's no one else here." said Ando and spread his arms out.

"Don't fool me. I heard his voice. He said he loved me. Don't think I can be fooled so easy!"

"I told you. I haven't seen him."

"Of course, you didn't." argued Nathan. "He can become invisible. Peter!" he shouted.

"Calm down, this is a hospital." whispered Ando but Nathan shouted out again.

After she heard the voice, Monica came into the room, too.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

"This is ridiculous." said Nathan, just talking in front of himself. "First, Bob calls me and tells me that he has found Peter and he's in Hartsdale. And now, I hear his voice in my head."

"Go there. To Hartsdale." suggested Monica.

"In this condition?" argued Ando.

"Yes, Ando." whispered Nathan. "She's right." he ripped the mask from his face, touched his nose – realizing that it still hurt – than asked them to get out of the room so he could change his clothes.

"You'll bring Monica in." he said to Ando after he had finished. "I'll take a shortcut."

Mohinder's anger immediately disappeared when he saw Kamala at the airport. She was still wearing the clothes she wore at the stupa, and looked innocent, sad and lost, looking for anyone's help. Naturally, nobody offered her that until Mohinder arrived.

"What are you doing here?" he asked after he had pulled her away from the crowd waiting for the check-in. "How did you get a visa? How could you call me? And in fact, how do you know my name and my phone number?"

"I know you're angry now." she whispered. "But I have to tell you something."

She sighed.

"What?" asked Mohinder, trying to hurry her.

"I cannot tell it here. Can we go somewhere else, safer?"

"Isn't this safe enough? Nobody's listening to us. Nobody has listened to you!" He was getting angry again and he didn't understand himself, why is he doing this.

"Because I didn't want to. But if you keep this yelling up, it won't be able to do that. I'm not able to do anything!" Her voice broke and she burst out into tears. Mohinder hugged him.

"I know you know people like me." she whispered.

"What?" asked Mohinder.

"I have an ability." For a moment, he let her free and stared at her. So maybe that's how she could sneak up on him at the temple. And is this the reason of doing this small but meaningful sacrifice at all?

"What...?" he tried to ask her about her ability but she interrupted him.

"I can copy the abilities of people around me."

"Like Peter Petrelli?" he asked but he realized that she didn't know him. "Never mind. You don't know him."

"But there is a problem." she said. "If I'm influenced by a strong emotion, whether it's hate or love or anything else, I can't use my ability. In fact, I can't use my abilities."

"That's why you came here? To ask me to fix you and your ability?"

"No, that's not why I came here for. It's my karma, you're not supposed to deal with it."

"Then why did you come here?"

"I can't use my ability since I met you?"

"Then what?" asked Mohinder ironically. "You want to kill me because you think I've made something wrong with you? That I've spoiled you?"

"Don't say these!" she shouted. "If I was in love with my ability I would probably say that. But that's not the reason. I know that I can't use my ability because of a strong emotional contact to someone. And I know that this person is you."

She looked in his eyes and she saw the shocking terror in Mohinder's eyes.

"You know my reasons now. Now, it's your karma, too."

Mohinder didn't say anything, didn't look in her eyes. He was standing in front of a hard decision.

"Good morning, Matt." heard he as he was waking up at an unknown place.

"Who are you?" he shouted. The voice seemed familiar. His brain was recovering slowly. Memories came to his mind. He shot, but he had to realize that he wasn't dead. He was probably shot with some stunning material like the one Nolan was shot with. He tried to move his hands, his legs but he couldn't. His limbs were in chains, and his head was also fixed with something.

The other voice laughed. Christian Kraft's one.

"Man, you're really curious. Or forgetful maybe."

"Where's my wife?" shouted Matt. With his brain, he was trying to find the agent's brain. If he gained control of it, he could get out very easily and peacefully. He didn't find it and he didn't know if it was because of the stunning material or the distance.

"Man, if I knew that, I swear I would tell you."

"You don't know?" asked Matt, still looking for him.

"Hopefully you can't read my thoughts, but I don't know. Why do you care for her? You're much more important. And I'm one of the few people on earth who really know this. Am I right, Matt?"

"You're not. She's important, too." Kraft's words burned Matt's heart. Somewhere, deep in it, he still loved Janice. And maybe he didn't know that she was pregnant. "Just as important as me. I won't cooperate with you, if I don't see her." he said, much more confidently than he actually was.

"Let's just leave this case to your colleagues, the so-called cops. And speaking about you, you'll cooperate with us, whether you want it or not. Matt, you're intelligent, aren't you? What do you think, why am I not with you, talking face to face? And what do you think, what's that plastic band on your forehead?"

Matt cursed but there was no answer.

"What's the matter, Noah?" asked Claude, still invisible when he saw Noah coming out of a small, renovated office. The Primatech logo was already on the office's door.

"We're partners, Claude. Show me yourself!"

"I'm not in tune for it."

"What's the matter?" he asked. "Is there anything with Claire?"

"No, nothing really serious. I left her more than an hour ago as she's at your place."

"Than why did you come here?" asked Noah, still looking in the thin air, looking for any signs, moves of his partner.

"As you've said, we're partners. I'm doing my part of the job. And I don't see if you're doing it."

"Are you here to control me? Do you think that I'm afraid of you?"

"I'm just warning you. I'm looking after your baby girl, as you've asked. And what are you doing for me? Aside being a nice little company employee, a native one..."

"Don't call me that!" argued Noah.

"Prove it! You're just sitting in that office, acting like a paper salesman. Acting like a damn boss! The problem is, we both know that you're not one."

"I'm just gaining trust. I'm considered dangerous..."

"Well, you better gain it fast..." stated Claude.

"I'm not your puppet, Rains. You're following orders, just like me."

"You might not be my puppet, Bennet, but I'm not yours as well. And, if I'm ordered to protect your girl, remember our deal. Move! Get that Walker girl!"

"I can't track her down after she left New York." explained Noah.

"As I said, you'd better try." There was a short pause. "You're getting old, mate. You can't even find me. You can't see me."

"You're the invisible man or what?" asked Noah but there was no answer.

After hours of waiting and many tests, Maya could visit Ann at the hospital. The scenery was disastrous. The skin on Ann's face was darker than Maya's, it was wizen, and there were many deep, dark scars on it. Her eyes were lying deep, and she could only see a small part of them. She lost many of her hair and the res was gray or totally white.

"They can't explain it, of course they can't." she said, on a deep, growly voice, on a voice that resembled to death's one more than to her former voice. She turned her face and looked at Maya. She froze for a moment as she saw it but after a few blinks Ann turned back.

"My first real assignment." she murmured. "I knew it was desperation time and I was right. I wasn't ready for this. I wasn't tough enough."

"You did everything you could." stated Maya.

"It was just not enough. I wasn't experienced enough. And I won't get more."

"Why are you saying this?" asked Maya.

"How can I fit in now? Look at me: you see a monster. I'm useless. The company leaves me now. They won't cover my back now. I was an investment for them, and a bad one."

"Don't blame yourself. There's always a way back."

Ann turned to Maya again.

"No, there's not."

"Yes, there is." whispered Maya. "Because of my stupidity and naivety, I've lost my brother, the only person I should have ever trusted. And now, I'm here. There's always a way back."

"I can't live like this!" shouted Ann and she burst out in tears. After she calmed down, she whispered back to Maya.

"Do something for me, Maya."

"What?" she asked.

"Kill that bastard! No matter what they've told you. I don't want him to become a company agent ever. I don't want to see him in my place." She grabbed Maya's hand and looked in her eyes. Suddenly, Maya remembered what resembled most to Ann's skin: a tree's bark. Slowly, she nodded. He killed one of her friends, intentionally. He didn't deserve living, just like Sylar.

"And one more thing." whispered Ann. "Give me salvation, Maya. Kill me! Please!"

Maya remembered her time in the church in Venezuela. She tried to remember the shame, the desire to disappear from this world, without her ability, her curse.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Ann nodded. Maya closed the door and closed her eyes, too. She was thinking about death. She was dealing it now and it looked like she should get used to it.

Sylar looked at the red statue in front of Kirby Plaza. He remembered the last time he was here. How far does it seem, how many things have happened since then. Although it wasn't even six months ago. He grabbed Peter, tried to kill him, to have his power, and to prevent the explosion, then, Hiro appeared and suddenly, everything was gone. He was almost murdered, and he lost his powers after that. But he was tougher than that. He regained his abilities, proved his strength.

"Gabriel." he heard his own name and turned towards the voice. It was Marie, coming to him. She wasn't really neat, but she didn't had to. He looked on her and nearly saw the will in her. The will to understand. That was common in them.

"Why did you call me here?" she asked.

"Marie, I have to tell you something..."

"I'm not a fan of drama." she interrupted. "Rap it out!"

"You remember Suresh's book, don't you?"

She nodded.

"I didn't tell you that I've met Dr. Suresh before, before he died."

"Really?" she asked. He heard her voice changed, it was full of enthusiasm.

"And, in fact, I'm one of the people who he was talking about."

"So what?" she asked. "Can you regenerate, can you read my mind or can you fly?"

"At the moment, I can fly but I can do much more."

"Show me!" she said.

He just thought on it, and he was in the air, a few inches above the ground.

"That's amazing. You're my man." she said.

"Right." said Sylar after he reached the ground again. "You need my help and I need yours."

"You're welcome. What do you need?"

"I need you to think with me." He pointed at his paintings, packed for now. "I have another ability..." Marie shouted "Wow!" but he continued to go on. "I can paint the future. I've painted these not even a day ago and they don't make any sense for me."

Marie looked curious.

"I'll tell everything I know about these and I'll think with you. I have to figure out what these painting mean."

"OK." answered Marie. "I'm in."

Nathan had to consider himself lucky that the first person he met could tell where Peter was and that they were about to leave. So, although outside Peter's room, there were many people moving, they could talk quite peacefully. Nobody was listening to them.

"What happened to you?" asked Peter when he saw his brother.

"Work accident. Nothing. Now, tell me about yourself."

For a moment, Peter turned his face away.

"Did you know that mom was working for the CIA?" he asked.

"Yes, I did."

Peter was shocked about the answer.

"Before I had started my campaign, she told me about it." stated Nathan calmly.

"Do you know what they were doing?"

"No, but why does this matter?"

Peter sighed.

"When I tried to go back and save you, somehow I landed in the past. I found her, I followed her, avoiding being noticed. I didn't want to change history, I didn't want her to see me, because it would have messed up everything. I saw her. She was a spy, and a murder. I saw dad, too. Now I know his ability. He could cause pain."

"Wait, wait." interrupted Nathan. "What do you mean he could cause pain?"

"I don't know. The only thing I know that he was torturing someone with his mind." Peter gulped. "Before they killed that man and they even wanted to kill his baby child."

"Peter. I said that I don't care about that part of mom's life. You're the one who can read minds, but if you had seen her, you could have seen the shame and the regret in her eyes."

"She's still a killer, Nathan. Just like this Bob guy."

"They all changed."

"No, Nathan. Things don't change so easily. Remember Kirby Plaza. You were the one coming after me. Against their will. I know, you're not like them."

"I just want to make a better world."

"We both want. And we have the ability to that. In fact, we had. I almost blew up our house and this place, too. Something is wrong with me. And I need you to understand me, so I could understand myself as well."

Nathan stepped to his brother and grabbed his hand.

"I'm here, with you. Let's go make out first steps. Let's go and see mom."

Peter looked in his eyes and in the next moment, both of them disappeared without anyone noticing that.

Hiro grabbed his sister and they teleported away, back to her office.

"Hiro!" she shouted. "I didn't travel so much for this. You trust a man who lied to your sister. Who lied to me! What are you doing?"

Hiro wasn't really doing anything. He was just staring at Ishi Nakamura's painting.

"Do you remember what she used to say?"

"What do you think about?" she asked.

"She always said that we should be aware and take care of the future."

"Do you think that she referred to you?"

"She always said that we must take care of the world because of our children's cause. And that it wasn't just our family. Yamagato is also a family. And the biggest family is the world."

"I didn't think that you had listened to these after dad's stories."

"I was but I didn't understand them. For a long time. But now, I do and that's why I'm acting like this. And I know that she didn't refer just to me. We all can change the course of time, the future. I just got luckier that I might know what's coming and how can I make it go away."

"So what do you expect me to do? Sit here and twiddle my thumbs?"

"Be aware. It's not just me. I saw good things unintentionally destroyed by me and I regret that. You just have to find your own destiny. I think you belong here. And I don't."

"Go!" hissed Kimiko. "Go back and save the world again."

Hiro made a small bow to her, then to her mother's photo. And, he left the room as he came in. During one small moment, without a trace.

Micah could still hardly believe that the woman standing in front of him, hugging him was his mother, Niki. And hearing that she could get rid of Jessica, seemed much more unbelievable. Yet, she looked nervous and after a few minutes of talking she left him and went to find Nana.

"Micah!" called she his name. "Please, pack your bags as fast as you can."

"Why?" asked he. "Are we moving?"

"Yes, we do. This place will become very dangerous very soon. I suggested Nana to go as far as she can, with her family, too."

"And what will happen to Monica? And how do you know that?"

"At the time, I think, Monica is safe. Much safer than we are." she sighed but didn't continue.

"How do you know this?"

"From one of my friends." she said as she turned to him.

Micah looked in her eyes and he knew that she won't tell more about this now.

"Everything will be all right, baby." she whispered. "We're going back to Vegas."

The idea wasn't really one of Micah's favorites but he wanted to stay with his mother. He didn't want to lose her again.

Mohinder was really rushing to the lab. He had a hard job trying to calm Kamala down – and in fact he couldn't be sure that he did that job well. And he was also curious, very curious. He wanted to know their lab rat, the villain with abilities. As he opened the door, he almost fell into the room from his surprise. There were three people in the lab: Wang, a Japanese guy and Monica Dawson.

"Is he our villain?" he asked, referring to the Japanese man,

Wang looked up from the files she was reading and stared to Mohinder.

"No. She is."

"What?" he asked scandalously.

"She broke into a police department and was caught. I don't think that she was a bad choice."

Mohinder gulped.

"Wait a minute. I'll bring my notepad and I'll inject her."

Monica looked at him and he could see the hear in her eyes. He slowly walked to his desk. He pulled out one of the drawers. And in the next moment, he grabbed a gun out of it and shot the Japanese man in the shoulder. He didn't want to kill him but he wanted to be left alone with Wang. He hoped that she was able to be persuaded.

"Don't push the alarm!" he roared. "Instead, tell me what do you see when you look in her eyes." He paused for a moment, waiting for an answer, but there wasn't any. "I've refused to give this serum to Monica before, to protect her innocence. I still see this innocence now. Do you hear me?!"

Still no answer. She should have been disappeared, got out of the room. But if she did, why didn't she push the alarm? He didn't have much time to think about this so he grabbed Monica's arm and pulled her out of the lab and the whole facility.

They got into his car and left the place as fast as they could.

Matt felt himself lost and pathetic. Everything about this damned ability. It has been very useful for him, many times. He couldn't have saved Molly without it. But at the moment he wished if he had something else. Why couldn't he have super strength now, to break his chains and the walls surrounding him? Or why didn't he have teleportation? Such an ironic situation.

And, suddenly, he heard the same sentence in his mind, on another voice.

"Such an ironic situation. I haven't come here to stay undercover, hidden from the eyes of everyone else, to guard some important. Important, huh? A freak."

Matt decided to show him who was the freak. He concentrated on the guy's mind, called upon him. He wanted him to open the door of his cell. He heard the huge metal door opening. So they didn't want to disable his ability. The problem was, that they had underestimated him. He ordered his guard to cut his chains, freeing him. He asked him about the way out, about the time, about the patrols, about the entry codes and the cards needed. He answered every question without a word. He grabbed his coat (although it was a bit tight for him) and ordered him to forget all the things happened. And, without being noticed, he slipped out the building.

Maya simply swept a few bits of paper away with her feet. She knew where she was walking She decided to face her fears. All of them. She had returned to Latin-America, she was speaking Spanish again but now she was a servant of good. And, although she was horrified because of what she had seen and about what she had to do, she decided to go and rest in Rios' long left residence. Suddenly, she saw a book lying on the floor. It was Crime and Punishment from Dostoevsky. She thought about Rios and her. They've all committed crimes. It was a bit strange that she has already received punishment and was an instrument of his one.

"I'm back." she grinned.

It was weekend and it was strange for Claire. She could have been herself. She wasn't in danger, her family was together, they didn't have to run anywhere. And still, she was disturbed. She thought about West. Her memories were both sweet and bitter. He was dead and she couldn't even talk with anyone about this. Sandra and Lyle surely didn't remember him, and she didn't know if Noah's alarm will go off if she mentions him. So, she went out to the local sports complex, just alone. She looked at the boys playing soccer (surprisingly, this sport was very popular, compared to Texas), but she couldn't really turn her thoughts off. She blamed herself, because of his death. And now, there was Nicholas. He said he loved her but he had to guard her. He was following orders. Did he resemble to her father in this question? She couldn't know that. She didn't know how much time she spent there, looking at the pitch, but without a single sign of interest. She only knew that it was a lot.

"Hi." said a calm voice behind her. Nicholas' one. She looked at her watch: he came just at the worst time, for him. "I didn't know you like soccer."

"You don't know a lot of things about me." she stated. "Please" she sighed "for a moment, I just want to be alone. I have to think."

For a moment, he didn't look in her eyes, instead, he looked at the ground.

"OK, you'll get your moment."

"And, in fact" she said "I'm about to go." She started walking to the exit door.

"Because of me?" asked Nicholas. "Claire, I know you're not well but please let me help you."

"In what?" she argued. They've reached the front door and Nicholas spotted their car, driven by Sandra.

"First, I have to decide who's my family and who is the right choice to tell anything about myself for."

Nicholas just gulped and stood still as Claire walked to the car. During walking, Claire heard a faint moan behind her back. She turned back and saw Nicholas collapsing. She walked to him to see what happened. And suddenly, something, an unknown force grabbed her waist so she couldn't move. She heard Sandra getting out of the car and shouting her name. She tried to fight against the force but it was slowly pulling her away. She cried for help but no one heard it except Sandra. As Sandra reached them, she tried to pull her back but in one moment, her head cricked back, looking like she was punched in the face and she fell to the ground, too.

Claire cried again and she felt like a piece of rag was put into her mouth. Slowly, the force twisted her arm behind her back. She felt the pain but she couldn't move her arms. She was totally disarmed, she couldn't move any part of her body. And she was carried away from the familiar ground.