"Ugh…"
"Wake up."
"Ugh…The Grimace…with Milli Vanilli's dreadlocks…"
"…What the…?"
"Whoopi Goldberg and Grizzly Adams….smoking reefer with Korean midgets…."
"Wake up!"
SLAP!
(Carter Daniels-Location Unknown.)
"OW!" Carter shouted, snapped out of his dreams. "What the hell!" He blinked taking in his surroundings. He was in a small concrete building, florescent light beaming down on him. He pulled at the ropes that held him fast to the chair that that been bolted to the ground, finding no slack whatsoever. His cheek stung from where he had been struck, and arms hurt from the awkward position they were in.
Standing in front of him was another man, at least 30 years old, dressed all in black. Black shoes, black pants, black shirt, black gloves, even a black mask and black goggles. He showed no skin, a study in darkness.
"What…the hell?" Carter said once more, utterly confused. He looked down at his hand. "Panic…"
Nothing.
"Your powers are nullified, as long as we are in this room." The man in black stated.
Carter closed his eyes. One moment he had been standing with Hank, Linda and Kelly, the next he was trapped in some box with the Johnny Cash wannabe. "If you are going to sodomize me, can you at least use some lotion?"
The figure in black cocked his head to the side, studying Carter for a moment. "You Americans are a strange bunch."
"Great!" Carter said, staring up at the lights. "I am going to get sodomized, and it is by a French Guy."
Seth shook his head. "I should have kept you asleep. When you mumble then, I could somewhat follow it." Seth walked behind Carter, rummaging through some boxes that remained out of the student's eye line. "If you allow me to do this, then you can be returned to your friends."
"Sod-and-go?" Carter asked. "no cuddle afterward?"
Seth groaned. "I am not going to sodomize you." He shook his head. "I see your powers have developed quickly since they were first activated."
"Powers?" Carter asked. "You mean…"
"Yes Mr. Daniels…I know much about you. I know you have the ability to manipulate the emotions of others. I know this came about during an attack lead by Mr. Delpine. I know that your friend Linda has powers. And I even know that your powers have begun to change. You have found that, when applied enough times, your commands can hold. Hence you lack of a st-st-stutter." Seth leaned down, smiling through his mask. "I also know things you have no clue about, Mr. Daniels."
"is that so?" Carter asked.
"Yes." Seth replied. "Tell me…what do you know about your family? Your biological family?"
&&&
(Lee Malion and Galatea- The Massachusetts Border)
"Take a'look at my girlfriend, she's the only one I got. Not much of a girlfriend, never seem to get a lot."
Lee and Galatea bobbed their heads back and forth, getting into the rhythm of the music. The sun was shining, it was a warm despite being the end of October, and trees still had some of their leaves left. Lee was driving in a vintage car with a girl at his side and Gym Class Heroes blaring on the radio. Behind him was an uncaring father, a ratting apartment, and friends he could barely call friends. Before him was the open road, leading to his destiny.
Life could not get any better.
HONK HONK!
Pausing the CD, Lee looked in his rearview mirror, smirking as the driver behind him laid on the horn, motioning for him to move. Motioning being the nice word…more like flipping him off and screaming at him to speed up.
"I think that man is mad at you, Master." Galatea said.
"I think he is too. Lets not keep him waiting." Lee turned on his blinker and began to move into the other lane. Why the man behind him didn't think to do that…"Roll down your window, ok baby?"
"Sure." Galatea said, lowering her window, the wind slapping across her face as she did so. "Why?" She asked.
Lee shrugged, watching as the driver behind him raced forward, pulling up next to them and giving them the finger. "Learn to drive!" The stocky, balding tub of lard shouted.
"Galatea, would you be so kind as to grab onto his door?"
"Ok!" She said, reaching out and snagging the other car's frame. Her fingers dug into the metal like it was butter, and the other driver stared in horror as she got a good grip.
"Uh oh, is that a squirrel?" Lee asked.
"Don't hit the squirrel!" Galatea squealed.
"Ok." He replied, stomping on his brakes. Galatea's arm jerked slightly as they skid to a stop, but she managed to keep her hold of the other car. Just as Lee had predicted.
What he hadn't predicted was that the other driver wasn't wearing a seat belt.
He and Galatea watched as the man was flung through the windshield, body twisting in the air. The man let out a horrific scream, silenced as he struck the asphalt, body skidding to a stop. Lee's eyes widen as he saw the body twitch once…twice…then go limp.
"Wow." Galatea whispered, gulping.
"Yea…we…we really should so something." Lee said. Licking his lips, the artist reached down…and hit the play button on the CD player.
"Take a'look at my girlfriend, she's the only one I got. Not much of a girlfriend, never seem to get a lot."
&&&
(Linda Frey, Hank Delpine, and Kelly Raegan-Pennsylvania)
"He's no where." Linda said with a sigh. "I…I checked every place I could think of…Carter's gone."
"Someone took him." Hank said. "Probably the same person that sent that smoke."
Kelly frowned. "The person that sent the smoke?"
Hank rolled his eyes. "Carter can whammy people, Dr. Frey can make tidal waves…you find it hard to believe someone can make smoke?"
"Well, sorrrrrrrrrry!" Kelly snapped. "Didn't mean to make a mistake in front of your lordship."
"Hey, don't snap at me. If you had been able to hold your Big Gulps…"
"Hey, if you had not hit that pot hole and rattled the van's engine…"
"ENOUGH!" Linda shouted, placing a hand on both their shoulders. "This isn't helping Carter!" She looked at the two of them. "Now, will you behave?"
Kelly and Hank shifted. "yea." They mumbled.
"good. Now, lets get something to eat, and begin looking outside for clues.
&&&
"Your mother and father never told you anything of your birth parents, did they?" Seth asked.
"No. They…they said they had never found anything out about them."
The Frenchman raised an eyebrow. "Is that what they told you?" Before Carter question what Seth meant by that, his kidnapper spoke again. "Yours is an interesting family, Mr. Daniels. Very interesting. You see, there are several powerful families in the world, families me and my associates have been keeping an eye on. When I say powerful, I mean not by wealth or standing…but by what makes you and I special.
"You are the last scion of two powerful bloodlines. Your mother is Meredith Gordon, who possesses the ability to create fire with a mere thought. She had you when she was merely a child herself, and gave you up for adoption. You were taken in by the Daniels family, your name changed, in hopes of protecting you."
"Protecting?" Carter questioned.
"Yes. There are people out there that feel that you are the key to many things that are about to happen. Power attracts many sorts. To insure that you would not be hunted down, you were placed in the care of Vic and Helena Daniels, your legacy hidden, even from you. Good thing…considering that already your siblings have been targeted."
"My…siblings?"
"Half sisters. One on each side. Your mother had an affair with a young man and produced your younger sister…"
"Claire." Carter whispered. "Her name is Claire…she…she can heal…and…she was attacked." He closed his eyes, remembering back, 2 weeks ago, to the terrible dream, of the cheerleader he had dreamt about. The teen he had felt the connection to instantly.
Seth raised an eyebrow under his mask. "Yes, she was. A man named Sylar, who knows how to steal the powers of others, has taken interest in her, for she, like you, is the scion of two bloodlines. The Gordons, and the Petrellis." He sighed. "Ironic…Sylar touches you from both family trees."
"What do you mean?" Carter demanded.
Seth shook his head. He had little time, and he had to tell Carter so much more. "Your real name is Carter Bryant Ellis. Your father never knew of your existence, and even if he did, he would not have cared. He has fathered many children, including your older half sister, Sarah Ellis, otherwise known as Eden McCain. She was of interest to us, because her power was similar to yours: She could give commands people could not resist…even demand that your heart stop. We felt that she might be a sign of what you may become."
"You…said was." Carter said softly. "Is she…"
"Dead. She was attacked by Sylar…she sacrificed her life to insure Sylar could never use her powers against others. I am sorry." He looked down at Carter, and was startled by the anger he saw radiating from the young man.
"Don't feel sorry for me or my sisters." He struggled against the restraints. "Feel sorry for Sylar when I get my hands on him."
Seth ran his hand along the top of his head. He had not expected that reaction for Carter. This was definitely not the young man he had been observing all these years.
"I have something for you, Mr. Daniels." Seth said, going back to the boxes and rummaging through them. After a moment, he found what he was looking for, and returned to Carter's line of vision. He held up a worn black leather trench coat for the young man to see. "This belonged to your great grandfather, Isaiah Ellis. He was one of the greatest gunman in the American West. Mainly because of his power, the ability to lock onto any person, making his shots always true. Your…sister Sarah wore a similar one."
Carter looked at the piece of clothing, his heart thudding a little harder. In just a few hours, he had gone from having no clue about his lineage to learning of his family tree, of two sisters stalked by a man named Sylar, and now…an actual link to his birth family.
"What is that…on the back?" Carter asked, pointing to the strange white designed them seemed to be faded into the leather. It was an S, with one extra arm sticking out to the right and two extra arms on the left.
Seth nodded. "That is a mystery all in of itself. Legend says that your Great Grandfather was in a lightning storm when he was struck, this symbol burn into it. Since then, it has been known in some circles as the Mark of Ellis." The Frenchman laid the coat on Carter's lap.
"Why…why did you do this? Why kidnap me? Block my powers? Tell me of my past then give me a coat?"
Seth walked around him. "We have our reasons." Before Carter could ask what he meant, Seth struck him on the back of the neck with the butt of a revolver, knocking him out. "You still have a part to play, Mr. Daniels. Your mother is out there…and she needs to bring you in. As long as you hold your love to her, you will never be able to understand what we want. Only when you realize the truth of who she is will you be more open to our cause…and only then will we be able to truly make you one of us."
&&&
(Madrid and Valencia Alverez- Hollywood, California)
Madrid looked up from her plate, smiling as her little sister dug into the spaghetti with a passion. She even didn't mind that the little girl was getting more food on her shirt then in her mouth. Vally was babbling happily about this and that, about all the games she had played and what Elmo had done on Sesame Street.
"An' he an' Cookie Mon'stir, they went gave Big Biwd the real cookie, and they laughed so hawd!" Vally giggled to herself.
"I bet that was really funny." Madrid said.
"It was Maddy!" Vally said with a grin. "it was!"
Madrid watched her sister drink from the sippy cup. 'How could I have ever thought it would be ok to leave her? How could I be so stupid and selfish…' Vally looked up at her sister, startled that her sister was near tears. Madrid sniffed, forcing the water works away. 'I ignored her for so long…even when mom and dad were alive, I ignored her. Thought she was just the annoying sister I never wanted…oh God, I've been a terrible big sister!'
"Maddy?" Vally asked. "What wong?"
Madrid took in a shaky breath. "Nothing…just realized something…"She shook her head. 'seems like all I do is cry nowadays.'
"What?" Vally asked, upset that her sister was upset.
"Come here." Madrid said, opening up her arms. Vally rushed around the table and crawled into her sister's lap. "I know I haven't always been there for you. That I wasn't the best big sister I could be. But…I'm going to change that. What do you say you and me go out and have a Maddy and Vally Fun Day? Go shopping, get lots of candy, go to the movies and the park."
"Weally?" Vally asked, eyes bright and sparkling.
"Really." Madrid said. "The first of many Maddy and Vally Fun Days. Just you and me, taking on the world."
Vally wiggled around happily. "Yay!" She squealed. "Fun Day, Fun Day!" She paused, growing serious, or as serious as a 3 year old could get. She twisted so she was facing Madrid. "Maddy? You a good big sister." She wrapped her arms around her neck. "I wuv you."
Madrid couldn't stop the tears from falling now. "I love you too, Vally."
&&&
"It's getting to dark!" Hank said. "We won't find anything if we can't see. And even if there is a clue, we're just as luckily to destroy it stomping around out here!"
The three of them were standing on top of the hill that sat on the other side of the rest stop. They had been carefully looking for hours for any sign of Carter, to no avail. They had already checked behind the building, but there was nothing by parking lot and semi trucks. They had decided to check the hill, then call it a night, looking at the field behind the parking lot in the morning.
"Five more minutes." Linda said. "Then we'll…"
"Look!" Kelly shouted. All three of them watched in amazement as a massive cloud of smoke raced along the highway, overtaking the road before climbing steadily up the hill. "Brace yourselves!"
In an instant, they were overtaken, coughing once more as the black smoke swirled around them. Then, just like before, it was gone, leaving them all where they stood…
"There are those that we will always turn to, those that we will always seek comfort from. When darkness is on our doorstep, when evil enters our lives, there are those that we will always run to. And when they are gone…the only thing we can hope for, is that they will return to us someday."
-Mohinder Suresh
…and Carter Daniels out cold beside them, dressed in a long black leather coat.
Author's Note: This time, if you review, you will learn how the DC Comic Universe relates to Elsewhere. Also, make sure to read Snapshots…because this week, a new ability will be discovered.