Madrid licked the blood from her hand, a dark smile creeping over her features as she watched Carter approach the last of Gabriella's agents. All around them, the mutilated bodies of the other men lay scattered about. Arms and legs were tossed aside, blood coated the walls and ceiling, and several walls had been dented from the two hurling them men across the building.
Carter easily lifted the man by his throat, holding him up high and glaring at him.
"Where is Marie Delpine?" He questioned, tightening his grip. "Where is she?"
Marie yawned. "Just scan his mind."
Carter chuckled. "Oh, I already did. He knows nothing…I just want him to squirm for a few…more…seconds…" Carter reached up and cracked the man's neck. "There we are."
Madrid slowly walked up to him, running a finger along his arm. "Aren't you just so cute when you are protecting yoru family?"
Carter wrapped an arm around his wife. "Damn straight, baby." Madrid giggled as the two emerged from the shattered house, only to find themselves surrounded by survivors of Gabriella's first assault. "…I'm going to pick up any stragalers…leave no witnesses." Carter let her go, rising in the air before flying off.
Madrid nodded, her hands igniting with blue electiricty. "I knows its cliché…but bow before Madrid, bitches."
^&^&^&^
Tina ducked behind a column, covering her ears as Hank let off a sonic blast. Kelly cursed, throwing up a shield before rushing him, stretching her arms out like rubber bands and wrapping them around his throat.
"Just give in, God boy." She taunted, squeezing hard. "Imagine it, Heaven…your daddy there to regal you with stories of how he killed people…"
Hank struggled, metal spikes ejecting from his skin and digging deep into Kelly. "Yeah, I can hear about how you're going to burn in Hell." He held out his hand, firing 3 black barbs from his knuckles. "Now come here so I can skin you alive."
Tina poked her ehad out. "Can I leave if I'm not fighting?"
"NO!" Both Kelly and Hank roared, diving back into battle.
"Damn."
^&^&^&^
"Now…which one of you should I kill first…" Madrid considering, looking down at the trembling masses. "Oh screw it, one big death for all…"
Before Madrid could act, she found herself staring at Vally, the little girl moving between her and the townsfolk.
"No." Vally said sternly.
Madrid smiled sweetly. "Vally, could you please move so mommy can kill these people?"
"Not mommy." Vally said stubbornly.
"And what do you mean by…" Madrid paused when she felt the sword press into her throat.
"She means you ain't Madrid Alverez." The younger male of the 4 Hunters said calmly. "So, why don't you leave the nice woman's body so the toddler and her mama can have a hug, shall we?"
Madrid chuckled. "Oh, we'll have a hug…but first, I'm going to kill you and everyone in this town, 'kay?"
The Hunter just managed to roll away as Madrid copied a knife into her hand, swinging at him. He quickly turned his sword into purple flames, turning said flames into a gun, firing at Madrid several times. The Spanish actress laughed as the bullets bounced off her harmlessly.
"Is that suppose to stop me?"
"Actually…" The teenaged member of the Hunters called out, walking towards Madrid, "that was to distract you so your little girl could whammy all the mojo out of you." Madrid let out a scream as Vally fired pink flames at her. "There we go."
The toddler forced herself to ignore her mother's cries as she used her powers to bring ripping away all the extra abilities and negative side affects that came with them. Vally paused, however, biting her lip, before she leaving several…extras…behind.
The flames receded, leaving a whimpering Madrid laying in the street, griping her head as the red faded from her eyes. She looked up slowly, tears in her eyes.
"Oh God…" She whispered.
Vally grinned, not caring if Madrid was traumatized. "MOMMY!" She squealed, rushing to her and hugging her tight, peppering he face with kisses. The little girl turned to the teenager, grinning happily. "Mommy's back!"
"That she is." The teen said. She smiled under her mask as she watched mother and daughter reunite. "You good now?"
Madrid shook her head. "What happened…inside…I tried to fight it, but things got…cloudy…"
The man nodded. "All the powers, all the problems. There are some really twisted downsides to these abilities."
BOOM
The two hunters stared up at the sky, taking a step back.
"What was that?" Madrid whispered.
"That…" The teen said, "was your husband breaking the sound barrier. He's going to be here real quick…get ready."
^&^&^&^
"Rodreck…what the hell?" One of his men shouted, holding out his hands. "Our powers…"
Rodreck glared at them. "Our powers are gone. Lets hope theirs are too."
"We have to fall back…figure out…"
Rodreck snatched a gun from a fallen Morbius security guard and fired it several times into his own agent's skull.
"Like I said…we hope they lost theirs too."
^&^&^&^
Tina stared at the stone head of the Hank statue, examining it carefully. "Nice to know that I have a friend here."
BOOM
The stone head shattered.
"Oh." She said sadly.
Kelly and Hank had been going at it for 20 minutes, and pretty much had done nothing to move the odds to either's side. Infact, it seemed more like they were just locked in battle to be locked in battle, forgetting why they had decided to fight in the first place.
The tomb was in shambles, and every shake of its foundation made Tina wonder when exactly it would finally fall on her head.
"They are really going at it, aren't they?"
Tina nodded. "That they-AAAAAAAA!" The woman scrambled back, away from the two dark clothed intruders. Hank and Kelly paused mid battle, wondering what had scared Tina…that didn't involve them.
"Hi there." The Leader of the 4 Hunters said happily, walking towards the power-crazed duo. "Lets chat."
^&^&^&^
Madrid smiled as Carter flew down to her, watching as her husband looked at the fallen forms of the 2 Hunters. "Hi there, sweetheart."
Carter raised an eyebrow. "And what do we have here?"
"Two idiots that tried to trick me. Got Vally to do their dirty work, didn't they sweetie?"
Vally nodded. "Yup!"
Carter nodded. "Right. Madrid, a question."
"Uh…yeah?"
"Did you forget I have superhearing now?" Lightning cracked on his fingers as he fired at the teen, the girl just managing to leap up, her fellow Hunter joining her. "Heartbeats, Madrid, heartbeats."
She quickly threw up her hands. "Now Carter…please listen…you're not thinking clearly…"
"I am thinking just fine. You aren't the one thinking right…the fact you are afraid of me is proof of that." He smiled gently. "I would never hurt either of you." Holding out his hand, Madrid and Vally found themselves trapped in a clear forcefield. "This will protect you while I deal with these fools."
"Carter!" Madrid bellowed, slamming her fists against the bubble. "This isn't you! You have to fight the urges…"
Carter glared at the two hunters. "You brainwashed my family." Fire glowed in his hands.
The male Hunter backed away. "So this is the Crime Syndicate version of the Metatron…not ashamed to admit I just wet myself."
"Ditto." The teen said, leaping out of the way as Carter launched several attacks at them. "Uh, any time Short Round."
Vally nodded, calling upon her flames…only for them to blink out.
"Haitian's powers." Carter said simply. "Combined with my own and a Arthur Petrelli's. You aren't affected by one…but you can't stop all three." He sighed. "I promise I'll unblock you when I cure you, baby girl."
"Not a baby, and you're not daddy!" Vally snapped.
Carter slowly turned towards the Hunters. "You'll pay for this." He rose into the air, eyes glowing bloodred. "Die."
^&^&^&^
"Ow…" Hank and Kelly moaned, rubbing their heads, the red faded from their eyes.
"Now, are you going to play nice now?" The Leader of the Hunters asked.
"Yes." Both of them mumbled.
"Good." The Leader said.
Kelly rubbed her head. "What the hell happened, anyway?"
"The Eclipse." The Leader's husband said. "Every person on the planet with powers lost them as soon as it happened."
"And why exactly did me and Kelly go uber-powerful instead?" Hank asked.
"Vally." The Leader's husband stated. "Vally is different from other super powered beings. When she used her amping abilities to increase your powers, she also altered how your powers work. So, instead of the Eclipse robbing you of powers…"
"They gave them every power." Tina finished.
"Including the negatives, like the hunger that drives Sylar to kill." The Leader stated.
Hank frowned. "Wait…Kelly and I were amped by Vally…but so were Carter and Madrid…"
"Which is why we need to go." The Leader said. She nodded to her husband, the two of them entering a portal and leaving the three alone.
Tina approached her girlfriend, staring down at her in amusement. "You two done being stupid?"
"Yes." Hank and Kelly muttered again.
"Good."
^&^&^&^
"Vic…what is it?" Helena asked, holding her husband steady.
"Damn it…" He muttered, swaying again. "Powers….gone."
"What?" Helena asked.
"Our powers are gone." Ashleigh said with a sigh. "No clue how…"
"Aging…again…forgot how much…it hurt."
Helena raised an eyebrow. "Aging hurts?"
"You….get use…to it." Vic grit his teeth. "Cells…dying all the time…all the time…"
"What do we do?" Helena asked.
Ashleigh shrugged. "Don't look at me…at the moment you are the strongest of us, Company Girl."
"Not quite."
The three turned to find themselves staring down the barrel of Renee Raegan's gun.
"You aren't the one with the weapon, are ya?"
^&^&^&^
"You are never going to let us live this down, are you?" Kelly muttered, Tina happily humming as she lead them out of the tomb.
"Nope! I plan to get lots of presents, footrubs, the works." She glanced at Hank. "And…uh…you can get me something too."
"Joy." Hank muttered. He was still feeling worn out from the fight, embarrassed that he had acted as he did, and wanting nothing more than to find Biddy and fall asleep for 20 hours.
Tina scoffed. "Don't be such a baby. Take your medicine like a…"
"Like a what?" Hank asked, coming up to where Tina stood, confused.
"The word she is looking for is man, son."
Hank narrowed his eyes but still joined Kelly and Tina in raising their hands as Marie Delpine and her men pointed their weapons at them. Biddy was being restrained, trying to free herself from one burly man's grasp.
"Now then…allow me to explain exactly how this will work. I'm going to kill the girl, you're going to scream "NOOO!" then I will shoot you in the head. Sound good? I hope so, because it seems like that is the best plan of action…"
Hank grit his teeth. "One problem, mom." Hank went invisible. "Still have my powers."
"FIRE!" Marie shouted, Hank grabbing Kelly and Tina and fading them from sight, the three struggling to avoid being shot. Marie, meanwhile, was marching towards Biddy, grabbing the woman by the hair and pressing the barrel of her gun to her forehead. "Had to do this the hard way, Hank!" Marie shouted, pulling the trigger.
BOOM
Marie screamed as he gun exploded, bits of metal tearing into her hand. She held it close to her body, staring at Biddy in shock. "How…your powers…"
Biddy slowly looked down, just as surprised as Marie by the bounce back. Her jaw dropped when she noticed her stomach was glowing red.
Hank was so startled that he became visible. "My God…"
"Vally's amping…it was passed down to your kid." Tina whispered.
Kelly could only stare. "And now it has every power in the world."
Marie tilted her head. "EVERY power?"
^&^&^&^
"Renee?" Helena questioned, utterly confused. She turned to her husband. "is there anyone our son knows who isn't involved in this craziness?"
"Said the woman that works for the Organization that kidnaps those with abilities?" Ashleigh commented.
"Former woman that works for them." Helena answered, before turning back to Renee and Charlie. "Uh…hi?"
"Where are you holding our daughter?" Renee snarled. "Tell me now…"
Vic frowned. "Holding? What…are you…"
"We know you kidnapped our daughter." Renee said coldly. "Rodreck told us!?"
Ashleigh laughed.
"Rodreck? That lying piece of…" She shook her head. "You listened to a word Rodreck said…you must be really dumb."
Helena glanced at her. "I think I liked it better when you were quiet and brooding. That didn't get us shot."
Charlie stepped towards his wife. "Renee…we don't know if they actually kidnapped Kelly…"
"Then where is she."
"Egypt." Helena admitted. "Her and Hank Delpine went there."
Renee rolled her eyes. "Enough lies…"
"Renee!" Charlie hissed. "We have no idea…"
"I know…you have no powers, no way to tell who is lying…"
"We know Rodreck was lying to us about stuff…what if all of this is a lie?" Charlie asked.
"What if it isn't?" Renee retorted.
At that moment, Rodreck calmly strolled into the hall. "Oh good, you found them." He tossed his gun aside. "Can I watch ya plug'em?" Renee pulled out a second gun and pointed it at him. "Ok, I don't have to watch…"
"One of you is lying to me." Renee snapped, frustrated. "I don't know who…all I want is my daughter back."
"Then shoot her kidnappers."
"Shoot us and Rodreck will kill Kelly the moment he is near her."
"Shoot them."
"Shoot her!"
"Shoot!
"Shoot!"
"SHUT UP!" Renee screamed.
BANG
^&^&^&^
Marie smiled as she felt her powers come back to her, her men all sharing similar grins. Tina gaped as acid began leaking from her hands once more.
"Well, this as been fun, Hank, truly has been. And you made me realize the error of my ways…" She grinned, every single person around her falling to their knees, clutching their heads in agony as their worst fears struck at their souls. "And I believe I should get to know the mother of my grandchild." She yanked Biddy up. "Come along."
"No…"Hank whimpered, still prone on the sand. "No…Biddy!"
^&^&^&^
Lee grinned like a madman as he moved through the warehouse, knowing that Agent Bast had made his way into the building. "Oh Agent!" He sang, twitching slightly as the sunlight poured onto his back. "You know…you killed my girlfriend…ripped her from me. Now? Now I am going to kill you. And guess what…" He threw some paper into the air, turning them into locust. "I'm going to kill you with the same things you took from me."
Agent Bast stepped out of the darkness, a similar smile on his face. "Boy…I didn't kill your girl. Freak accident took her and our powers. But now that it is gone…" Bast held up a hand, the locust changing course back to Lee. "My powers are back too." All manner of insects began to swarm the ground towards Lee, the artist just managing to jump away before being bitten by several poisonous spiders. "So yes…lets play hunter/hunted."
Lee slowly began to back away, the swarm growing larger and closer. His back pressed against a window as Bast came closer. "I control all the creatures of the Earth and the Sky…where will you run to now?"
Lee glanced behind him. "Guess." He slammed his back against the cracked window, toppling out of the building and into the water below.
Agent Bast calmly lifted his radio up. "This is Agent Bast. Lee Malion has escaped and killed my men. I want him and his friends faces plastered in every post office in the world…now."
^&^&^&^
Marie looked at Biddy as she lifted the helicopter into the air, making a quick escape to her base. "Just think, my dear…the child that grow in your womb is the most powerful being on the planet. And with his loving grandmother to raise him or her, that little baby will help me usher in a new age for us all. Your child will be the Messiah for all superpowered humans, leading us into war against the inferior, normal humans."
Biddy placed a protective hand on her stomach. "I won't let you harm my baby."
Marie laughed. "My dear, I don't think you understand at all the situation. You really don't have a say in any of this. So get that notion out of your head, ok?"
^&^&^&^
"MOVE!" The teen cried out, getting out of the way just as the Corvette slammed to the street, exploding into a fireball. Carter hung in the sky, another car already in hand as he watched them carefully.
"You won't hurt my family again!" He roared, throwing the vehicle at the man. The girl threw a throwing star at him, Carter holding out his palm and reducing it to ash.
"Funny thing about that…" The man called out, summoning a gun and unloading his clip at Carter, bullets doing nothing to stop him.
"CARTER!" Madrid screamed, pounding on the forcefield. "Please stop!"
Carter shook his head. "They hurt you, stole your powers…"
"They cured me!" Madrid countered. "Whatever is driving Sylar nuts is doing the same thing to us…they got rid of it…they can do the same for you…" She summoned several extra arms. "And look…have my powers still…feel better than I have in ages…" Vally glanced away nervously at that comment.
"No." Carter said coldly. "They want to rob us of these powers…I won't let them…"
"You have no choice." A new voice called out. Carter turned just as the portal closed, the leader of the Hunters and her husband emerging in the middle of the battle. "I am going to save you."
Carter smirked. "is that so?" he held out his hand, firing a blast of energy.
The woman calmly held up her own hand, the attack fading.
"WHAT?!?" Carter snarled.
"You are powerful…but I was trained by a stronger man than you."
"And who is that?"
"The real Carter Daniels. You are only a dark shadow, twisting him to do your bidding. I am here to banish you back to the night."
Carter was in her face in an instant, glowering at her. "I'd like to see you try." He cocked back his fist, doing the same power block move he'd used on Vally, swinging at the woman.
She caught his fist with ease, applying slight pressure.
Carter bellowed as she tightened her grip. "I am beyond anything you can do." She threw him back, holding out a hand, Carter screaming as his body began to glow. "You will release Carter now, shadow…you will never again use him…"
Carter flashed a dark grin. "There is only one that can stop me, witch." He said, his voice altered. His smile faltered when energy began pouring from him. "No…she is but a child…"
"Yes…and I am a woman." The Leader of the Hunters said calmly. "Return to the darkness, spirit…you will not harm my family again." Her woman made her open hand into a fist. "Behold the House of Daniels."
"Carter" screamed as the energy was ripped away, the red glowing power taking on the form of a great dragon before it dissipated. In its wake, the white, pure eyes of Carter Daniels blinked weakly before he fell to the ground, energy spent.
"Carter!" Madrid cried out, the forcefield down. She ran to him, Vally on her heels, the two of them cradling him close as he shivered, tears in his eyes.
"God…oh God…" he muttered, trying to get away from them, shame for his actions driving deep guilt into his soul.
"Do not blame yourself." The Leader of the Hunters said. "You were possessed, not fully, but instead by the darkness of others, twisting your desires so that you had to perform evil. Be glad…those you killed deserved death, for it was their own darkness that slayed them."
Carter stared at the woman. "Still…I…"
Vally grabbed her father tighter. "Daddy…its ok." She whispered.
Madrid nodded. "No harm came, Carter. We were stopped in time…the men we…we killed…we would have faced them later anyway…"
"Look on the bright side…" The younger male member of the Hunters said, "…now you are ready."
"Ready?"
"You needed to experience this, Carter." The Leader said. "You needed to see how evil works, how it twists good men and women. For the trials to come, you had to see all of this, to be prepared." The Leader nodded. "But do not worry…we will be here to help you begin."
Carter frowned. "Help us…how? How will you help us? How did you free us from that darkness? who the hell are you?"
The Leader of the Hunters slowly reached up, grasping her mask and pulling it away. Her lush black locks fell free, brown eyes filled with such warmth locked with his, her tanned skin only broken by her shy smile.
"Someone that loves you very much."
Carter gapped at the woman in shock, glancing at his wife and daughter, then back at the woman. Oh, he knew her right away…he knew her face well.
"Vally?" He whispered.
The Leader of the Hunters smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Hi daddy."
^&^&^&^
In Volume One, Carter found himself
(We see Carter holding out his hand in awe, silver flames dancing on it)
In Volume Two, Carter found his family
(We see Carter kissing Madrid, Vally grinning up at them)
Now, as Volume Three enters its final two episodes
(We see Carter staring in shock)
Carter…will find his legacy
(We see Adult Valencia standing with her husband)
ELSEWHERE
"Our Father"