Author's Note: I do not own the rights to HEROES. The dialogue at the beginning comes from the episode 'Homecoming'. All original characters are copyrighted by me. If the producers, actors or anyone connected to HEROES is reading this, you have my full permission to put Carter and/or Linda on Mohinder's list or contact me and include them in the show….please?
(Carter Daniels- Odessa, Texas)
Carter looked around darkened hallway, trying to get his eyes to adjust. He knew something was coming, something dangerous. Adrenaline was pumping through his system as he darted his head about, searching…searching…
"AAAA!"
The young man's head whipped around towards the sound of the scream, watching as a cheerleader burst out of a locker room right towards him. Something…something in his head called out to this girl. He didn't know why he felt what he did…didn't even know what it was. A love, of some kind…for a slip of a young woman he'd never seen before.
She ran into his arms, Carter stopping her as she panted. Blood was caked on her face, matting her hair.
"Are you ok?" He asked. The cheerleader stared past him, and Carter turned, eyes widening as he saw a stranger hidden by the shadows standing away from them. "Run, go!" he shouted, the two of them racing for the door. Carter turned quickly, facing the man and hoping to stop him.
He could hear the sound of tearing metal, and ducked and shifted as locker doors flew at him. Carter was out of his league and he knew it. Turning, he raced to the door, away from the strange man, past the Wildcat's sign and out into the night.
Catching up with the cheerleader, the two ran up some stairs/seats. At the top, carter turned to the girl, holding her arm.
"Who is it?" She asked.
"Go, to the stadium, okay? Find people, find lights, he doesn't want to be seen."
"What about you?" She asked.
"Don't worry about me. Go." Carter said, his need to protect her outweighing his own safety. His brain screamed at him not to fail her. She stared at him in shock. "Go!" He yelled, watching as she took off in a run. Carter turned back, only to come face to face with the man. He frowned; focusing on his powers…only he couldn't say the words. He couldn't do anything…except…
Carter wrapped his arms around the man, pulling him off the structure and towards the ground below….
"Carter!"
"NO!" Carter screamed, bolting straight up from the bed. His chest was heaving hard, his breath coming out in ragged gulps. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and was afraid if he looked down, he would see it through the skin. Shaking hard, he ran his fingers through his hair, the nightmare still playing through his head.
"C-carter…" A voice managed to get out.
The young man turned, eyes widening in horror as he saw Hank, Kelly and Linda shivering on the ground, curled up in tight little balls. All three were staring at him, their faces a story of absolute terror.
"Calm…" Kelly managed to get out. "Calm…"
Carter nodded quickly, holding out his hand. "calm." He blinked, horrified that his hand remained normal; no glow, no magic. "Calm." He said more forcefully, sighing with relief when his power activated, the energy pooling from his fingers and into his companions. All three of them let out a sigh of relief as the soothing command took hold, allowing them all to breathe easy. "What the hell happened?" Carter asked, still staring at his hand.
"We heard you yelling…" Linda said, standing up slowly. "When we came in…your entire body was…glow…ing…" She tapered off. Carter frowned, noticing the rest of the group had also taken to staring at him.
"What?"
Hank quietly took out a mirror, holding it up for Carter to see…that his eyes were glowing white. Just like his hands normally did.
"Holy…"
(Lee Malion and Galatea- Boston, Massachusetts)
"So…you are thinking about purchasing one of safe deposit boxes?" The bank manager said, sitting down at the desk.
"Yes. The wife and I feel that it is important to safeguard her valuable." Lee said, folding his hands in his lap. Galatea sat perfectly still, behaving just as Lee had told her to do. "Can't be too careful."
Lee was dressed in his best suit, hair combed and looking as nice as he could get it. Galatea wore a neat pantsuit, prim and proper. It had been hard to find a suit that fit her form…hard to part with the $700 dollars to purchase it.
But, in the end, one had to spend money to make money.
"Well, you can rest assure that we offer some of the most secure deposit systems in the state. Infact, we have been ranked number 1 for 3 years now."
Galatea nodded. "That sounds wonderful. Could we take a look at one of the boxes?"
The bank manager nodded, standing up and leading the couple out of the office and over to the large room opposite him. He typed in a password, then slide the door open, allowing the two to enter. Lee and Galatea entered the small room, barely 10 by 10 feet, eyes wandering the boxes. Each one sat flush to the wall, a heavy-duty handle welded each draw. A small keyhole was right next to the handles, and a tiny 4 digit number lay right above it.
The manager took great pains of showing how the lock was designed to prevent lock picks, and that the handle was a part of the entire box, as so to stop someone from knowing it off and using the hole as a way of access. He pointed to several cameras that lined the room, telling them how they recorded everything day and night, so that if there were a break in, they would have crystal clear footage.
"Could we perhaps have a moment to discuss this over in private?" Lee asked politely.
"Of course." The manager said. He moved towards the door, looking back at the two. "Don't go stealing anything!" Lee and Galatea laughed, waving the manager off as he headed out to leave them in peace. The instant he was away, Lee was at the door, pulling it almost shut.
The artist quickly opened his jacket, looking down at the little fairy he had created that morning. The little sprite giggled as she kept herself focused, releasing the magnetic pulse Lee had programmed her with.
"Our lightning bug here will disrupt the cameras, so we are in the clear." He nodded to his lover. "You know what to do."
Galatea nodded, selecting one of the draws and grabbing the handle firmly. There was a metallic groan, and Lee peeked through the crack in the door, glad that no one had noticed it, the bank that busy. After a moment, the entire thing popped out, the inner lock shattering and revealing the motherload: diamond jewelry.
"Hurry up and open the next one." He said, stuffing the ill-gotten gains in his pockets. "We need to get a few more before we can leave." He fingered one of the jewels. "Baby, remind me to call work and tell them I'm taking a personal day tomorrow?"
"Why?" Galatea asked, ripping another draw free.
"Because you and me are getting naked and rolling around in all the cash this is going to provide us!"
He frowned, looking at the folder that had been left behind. He didn't know what had possessed him to grab it…infact it made little sense to grab it, all things considered.
His mind went back to the girl…Claire. So close. He had been so close. One stupid mistake had cost him almost everything. Had he just been more carefully, he wouldn't be standing here now. He would be unstoppable, perfect…special. Finally special.
It would be harder to find her now. They would hide her, try and keep him from here. He would still get her…he always got what he wanted now…and if he didn't, he tried again. It would be harder though.
But reading this file…he felt a glimmer of something deep within his darkened soul.
Subject: Carter Daniels
Age: 22
Power: Emotion Manipulation/ Possible Healer Factor
Class: Potential/Armageddon
Profession: Student/Reporter
Location: Flint, Michigan
Notable Connections: Little Sister- Claire Bennet
Sylar smiled. If he couldn't get the sister…the brother would work just as well.
(Carter Daniels, Linda Frey, Kelly Raegan and Hank Delpine- Detroit Michigan)
"ON THE ROAD AGAIN! I JUST CAN'T WAIT TO GET ON THE ROAD AGAIN!"
Kelly frowned, covering her ears. "HANK! TURN THE RADIO DOWN!"
"What?!?"
"THE RADIO DOWN!"
"Who's a rodeo clown?"
Linda looked between the two of them. "Pooh's a flamboyant guy?"
"I don't hate the Jews, and I would never want them to die!" Hank shouted. "A guy's Christian and suddenly everyone calls him a nazi."
"Yea, Potsie on Happy Days was my favorite character too!" Linda called out.
"SHUT UP!" Carte screamed at the top of his lungs. The group looked at him, startled by the outburst, as he reached over and snapped the radio off. "Jesus Christ you people."
"Hey, watch it with the breaking of the Ten Commandments!"
"Oh lay off it God Boy." Carter snapped. "Bad enough you and me are stuck in this quest, and I have to censor my language to avoid all words that are emotions…you aren't taking the Lord's name from me. I'll fight you for it."
"Don't mind him. Carter gets cranky when he doesn't get a good night's sleep." Kelly said, returning to work on Linda's laptop. The teacher had brought it with them, in hopes that it would keep them up to date on any news. Namely, news about world-saving-events.
Linda had taken to the whole, "Let's save the world" task like a duck to water. Her first words after Carter had explained his powers were joy that she wasn't alone. When told that they needed to leave, Linda had said that Hank was Han Solo, Carter was Ben Kenobi, and she was Luke Skywalker. She'd then compared Kelly to R2, which resulted in a 20 minute debate on if robots could be gay.
Carter when he'd questioned her, Dr. Frey had said simply, "I superpowers, you have superpowers…next step is to form our own version of the Avengers and go fight Dr. Doom." She'd then smiled. "I'm not a complicated girl."
The emotion manipulator was brought out of his thoughts when Kelly squealed happily, clapping her hands. Hank nearly skid off the road, struggling to get the van back on track before he turned to glare at Kelly.
"What are you…"
"I found Hiro!"
"What?" Hank asked.
"Hiro…Hiro Nakamura! I found him!"
Linda looked over at the screen from her position in the back seat. "The Japanese guy that visited Hank?"
"That's the one." Kelly said. "I was searching online for travel sites when…I don't know, I just thought, 'Why not search Google for Hiro Nakamura?'. Sure enough, this pops up!" She turned the screen so Carter, who was sitting in the front seat, could see.
"A blog?"
"Hiro's Blog. It's all about how he can stop time and how he came to America."
"That doesn't prove that this is our Hiro." Hank said. "I mean…maybe Hiro Nakamura is a common name in Japan…like Joe Smith."
"What about this?" Kelly said, reading through a blog entry. "According to Hiro, he received a call from someone named Peter Petrelli, who said that a future version of Hiro…who had a sword…" Hank eyes grew wide at that little detail, remembering the katana Hiro had carried very well, "…and told him to…"
Carter frowned. "To what?"
Kelly licked her lips. "Save the cheerleader…save the world."
Linda's eyes grew wide. "Carter…you said you dreamed of saving a cheerleader…and Hiro told us to save the world…"
"It's a vision." Hank said softly. "A vision from God. Of what will come to pass."
Carter frowned. Somehow, that didn't sound right…but he would not argue it. Something in his gut told him though, that the dream was not a vision…more like a memory.
"I'm posting a message to Hiro." Kelly said more to herself then anyone. Linda, Carter and Hank gave her a look. "Don't worry, I'm keeping it vague, and not using my real name…not even letting on that any of us have powers. Heck, maybe this will give us some more insight if he actually responds. But guys…get this…Hiro says where he is going…he's heading towards New York." She looked up at Hank, smiling. "Hiro said that I would be the one to figure it out…tell us where to go. And how else would he have known…"
"Unless we began talking to him through his blog." Hank finished. He nodded to himself. "Alright guys…looks like we are going to New York."
Helena Daniels sat in the living room, holding her head in her hands. She could feel the headache growing stronger, making her feel dizzy. Of course, it didn't help that she had been crying for hours. Bennet's phone call from the day before continued to ring in her ears, mocking her.
They had shot her son.
And now, he was missing.
According to Bennet, Carter had freaked out when that damn Haitian had tried to hollow out Kelly, who apparently knew all about Carter. He had used his powers against the Haitian, who had just recently been able to fight off the last remnants of the fear suggestion, only to get shot. Carter had turned on the other agent, then carried Kelly away…and now he was gone. Off the radar for 2 days.
He hadn't even come home.
'Does he know?' Helena thought, miserable. 'Does he know his own mother…'
Helena's head snapped up, her ears detecting someone moving around the house. In a fast, she was on her feet, hurrying towards her bedroom, following the noise. Her heart ached, hoping beyond hope her baby boy was home. Though, she felt it all the more likely that it was merely her husband, home early from work.
Coming upon her closed bedroom door, Helena frowned, confused. She never shut the door, so why would it…
'Smoke' Her mind cried, watching as gray smoke oozed from the bottom of the door. She heard movement, and her eyes grew wide. "Vic!" She screamed, ripping the door open and storming into the room. All around her, smoke clouded her vision, causing her to cough violently. Strangely she could feel no heat, hear no crackle of flames. "Vic!"
"Not quite." A voice called out. Helena turned, watching as the smoke began to dissipate, revealing a man dressed in black, covered head to toe, only his mouth visible. He wore goggles over his eyes, and the black facemask covered the rest of his features. But what was most startling was the gun he held pointed at Helena. "But this does concern him."
Helena braced herself, realizing it was useless to go for her own weapon. "You're one of them…aren't you?"
The man nodded. "Yes…I am one of them." His accent was French, and his words came out smoothly. "And I know all about you, Mrs. Daniels. My employer knows all about what you are do…and what you are planning."
The woman frowned. She was tired of the mindgames. "What do you want?"
The Frenchman smiled. "My employer has learned that your son has developed his powers…and he has proved quite powerful. He also knows that you have been instructed to capture your son, who is currently on the run." He paused, his tone growing serious. "Tell me Mrs. Daniels…do you love your family."
Helena gritted her teeth. "Do you think I want to take in m own son…"
"Answer the question."
"…yes, I love my family."
The Frenchman nodded, pulling out a photo. "That is very good then for your husband."
"My hus…" Helena stopped short, taking in the photo. It showed a dark haired man tied to a chair, bare-chested, bloody and beaten. He sat there, limp as a boned fish, head resting on his breast. Blood was everywhere, and Helena could make out a few nasty looking cuts along his stomach. "Vic." She whispered, before turning angry eyes towards the intruder. "What have you…"
"Your husband will recover. But let us get down to business." The Frenchman pulled the photo away. "You will continue as planned, chasing after your son. You will find him currently leaving the state. When you do capture him, you will take him in for medical treatment, and inform Mr. Bennet that Carter will not be seen for 3 days. On the second day, you will wheel Carter out of his room and out of the building. There, you will hand him over to me. When this is done, you will be given the location of your husband."
Helena glared at the man. "You expect me to sacrifice my son to save my husband? How…how can you ask me to do that?"
"You are prepared to sacrifice him for the good of your country. It seems not that far of a leap to sacrifice him for the man you love." The Frenchman paused. "Let me make this clear, Mrs. Daniels: Your son is to be alive and in near perfect health, with his memories in tact and his powers the same. If there is even the slightest thing done to him…" He smirked. "…normally, I would threaten your husband's life. But in this case…oh no. You see, that would be too easy." He didn't flinch as he watched Helena begin to cry. "We will break him…rape his body and mind until he is lost forever and left a shell of a man. And then…we will leave him in your home, for you to find…and to spend the rest of the days knowing that you are the reason he suffered." The intruder stood up. "Your son, whom you were ready to eliminate…or your husband…I do not think the choice will be hard. Good evening, Mrs. Daniels."
Before Helena could move, the man fired a blast of smoke from his mouth, blinding her. The woman coughed, covering her mouth and blinking wildly as she fought to state conscious.
Her last thought before darkness overtook her was a question:
'Who will I loss?'
Next Time, on Elsewhere:
For over a week, Carter Daniels has come to gripes with his powers…
(We see Carter holding out his hand, the energy pooling around his fingers)
And gather together a team to save the world.
(We see Hank, Kelly and Linda standing alone in an empty field)
But as he races towards his destiny…
(We see the van passing the "Welcome to Ohio" sign)
He doesn't realize…
(The screen darkens)
That he is being hunted by all sides.
(We see flashes of Mr. Bennet, Helena, and the Frenchman)
And that before he can become a hero…
(We see Lee Malion and Galatea standing in his apartment, surrounded by drawings that begin to shake)
he will come face to face with a new evil.
(Galatea whips around, punching Linda and sending her flying into a table. Carter meanwhile leaps on the back of a burly man, whammying him)
But in the coming weeks…
(We see Carter enter an elevator, a man standing in there already looking right at him)
A brother…
(Carter is thrown through the top of the Elevator)
…will take his revenge.
(We see the man in the elevator panting as he stands on the roof of the elevator, only to scream as Carter grabs his head, letting out his own cry as he blasts all his power into his skull)
Carter: SYLAR!
(Carter screams again, firing another blast. The screen goes to black)
Elsewhere
Hunted
Coming January 22
And while you wait for the second half of the season to begin…
(We see Hank sitting in a white padded room)
Learn the secrets of Elsewhere
(Hank looks up)
And read the scenes that took place before and between the story
????: Mr. Delpine…my name is Hiro Nakamura. I have a message…about Carter Daniels
Snapshots from Elsewhere The new drabble series
Starting next week as it's own seperate story on size1 width100 noshade
Author's note: To read Kelly's message on Hiro's Blog, go to (remove spaces) h t t p / b l o g s . n b c u n i . c o m / h i r o b l o g / 2 0 0 6 / 1 2 / f a i l u r e . p h p and do a Ctrl+F search for "Terry from Elsewhere"