"This stinks." Vally said, arms crossed and face screwed up in a pout. Helena sat beside her, combing the little girl's dark locks.
"Come on, its not that bad." Helena told her granddaughter. "Grandpa Vic and I are gonna take you to the park, and then the zoo…"
"Want daddy." Vally said stubbornly. She looked up at her grandmother. "Daddy needs me! I'm strongest there is! Best of best!"
"He still worries about you, princess, even if you are the powerful being on the planet." Vic stated as he entered the living room. "He can't do what needs to be done if he is worried about you…and he would be worried if you were there."
Vally scrunched down further. "Sonuvbitch."
"Hey hey hey!" Helena said, wagging her finger. "You want soap in that mouth."
"…no." Vally murmured.
"Then no more potty talk. Proper ladies don't talk like that."
"Bloody right!" Ellie called out. "Is (censored) in proper!"
Vic glared at the woman. "Great, a british version of Tina. I am so happy right now, can you tell?"
"Are ya being sarcastic?" Ellie asked.
"nooooooooo." Vic stated.
"…is he?" Vally asked Helena.
"Yes, sweetie. Grandpa Vic is being a mean super old man. Bad Grandpa Vic, no pudding for you."
"Did someone mention pudding?" Malcolm asked as he entered the room. "…you know, if this were a sitcom, I'd be getting applause right now."
"No…you wouldn't." Vic stated. "Ow!" He shouted, Helena smacking his across the head.
"Come on Vally, the zoo awaits. We can take pictures of the monkeys and use them to taunt Hank for being a creationist." Helena stated.
"I make fun of the biritsh and get hit. You mock Catholics and our granddaughter laughs. God hates me."
"That's because he's bloody British, ya wanker!" Ellie called out as the 3 left.
"You seem to be adapting well, luv." Malcolm said, sitting down on the couch. "Granted though, I'm barely managing to adapt myself."
"Hard to believe you've only known these people a day longer than I have."
"In person, ya. But thanks to the bloody chaos lines…"
"You mind explaining the chaos lines to me? I'm not quite sure what the (censored) they are about." She adjusted the wife beater she was wearing, not really caring if the straps of her bra were exposed. When the two of them had united, they had realized it might be best if they changed their looks, considering that they couldn't trust Nathan Petrelli or any other megalomaniac to try and kidnap Malcolm again. Thus, Malcolm was staying with his Colin Farrell/Bullseye outfit he picked up at the church, while Ellie had done away with the proper business casual wear she normally wore. Instead, she had styled herself after the British hip hop underground: baggy clothes, hair done up in a simple ponytail that hung off the right side of hr head, and minimal makeup. Paired with Malcolm's rumbler's outfit, the two looked like they had stepped out of one of the seedier neighborhoods in London…perfect for two private school kids that had an apartment in the upper middle class district.
"Imagine these strings, attached to every thing in the world. Everything. You, me, the couch, the tv…everything. Some are thick as ship cord, most are so thin I can't see them till they flare up. They show me what actions brought the objects to be where they are, as well as show me all the different possibilities that could come about."
"…sounds bloody confusing."
"It is." Malcolm whispered, Ellie running her fingers along the fuzz that he currently called hair. "When I was captured, I got to look at everything…I saw what needed to happen to have the world turn out for the best…and for me to get back to you. And that meant helpin' these yanks."
"So…you know a lot aobut them?"
"Oh yeah." He stated. "Take Kelly Raegan. Less than a year ago, she was a college student, editor of a school newspaper. Then her friend gains powers, and she's on a road trip to save the world. Discovers that she is a human GPS, can focus on the world and know where everything is located. She gets herself a girlie, who's father was a villain that wanted to blow up bloody New York, and then she finds out her parents not only have powers, her mother was a jewel thief who worked with the bloody 7 Horns…amazing the girl isn't in a corner babbling to herself."
^&^&^&^
(India)
"Got a lock on anyone, sweetie?" Tina asked as their cab slowly made its way along the busy street. All around them, mechanists peddled fruits and cheap souvenirs that were made to look like real Indian trading items.
Kelly's eyes remained white as she continued to search the area. "An opium den is 3 blocks to the west of us. A police station is 4 to the east. North there is a McDonalds, and a few blocks from that…another McDonalds. None of which sell burgars."
Renee frowned. "And I suddenly remember why I hate India."
"You've been here before?" Tina asked.
Renee smirked "Ask the cops if they ever found the Cresant Diamond sometime…that one bought our first house."
"I miss that house." Charlie said softly. "Had a great backyard."
"…you are a police chief, right?" Tina asked.
"I'm a crooked one…well, atleast where Renee comes in. I can put a million men in jail, but I'll help her rob a nursing home blind if she asks me too."
Renee snuggled up to her husband. "mmm…maybe later." She turned to Tina. "So, who is this Tully guy again?"
"Lord Tully, the great nephew of Lord William. Lord William was Vic's closest ally, which is probably why Merrick had him murdered. If we want the Alliance to agree to wage war on Marie, we need Lord Tully's vote. Unfortunately, Lord Tully has decided he prefers spending all his time in India."
"Lord? That means rich, right?" Renee asked, dollar signs practically popping up in her eyes.
"So…how will we tell who this Lord Tully is, huh?"
"More wine!" A cultured voice called out. The group pushed their way through the crowd to see a morbidly obese man, roughly 35 to 40 years old, seated on a large bench, a table pushed up to his gut, Indian waiters running about to supply him with what he wanted.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Lord Tubby…pun intended."
^&^&^&^
Ellie frowned. "What's the deal, by the way, with that Boston guy? I made a joke about him owing me tea and he gave me the cold shoulder."
"His name is Lee Malion. He can make 2 dimensional drawin come to life as a 3d object. He had created this woman, Galatea, to be his sidekick when he fancied himself a supervillian, which apparently runs in his family considering his mum was Marie's right hand girl and he was related to Merrick Delpine."
"Wait…Lee and Hank are cousins?"
"Pretty much." Malcolm stated. "You'd be surprised how many people are related to these people. I swear, Carter's real dad was a whore." He began to tick off the relatives. "His mother is Meredith Gordon, making him Claire Bennet's half brother. He's also Eden McCain's half brother, as well as Terrence Harper's. He is the great grandson or something like that of Kensei the Sword Saint, his grandmother's sister is the adopted grandmother of Sylar…seriously, Edward Ellis was a whore."
"…I have no idea who any of those people are."
"Point taken. Lee is, as you put it, "having a deal" because a few months back, everyone here lost their powers, which caused his girlie to revert back to her paper form, and he can't remake her as she wouldn't be the woman he had first met."
"That's…horrible."
"Yeah…he's been driven to kill the 7 Horns ever since."
^&^&^&^
(Boston)
"Well…this is a blast from the past." Ashleigh said, looking up at the skyscrapers that towered over her. "Its been…way too long."
Lee nodded. "Feel the same way, mom." He paused. "I just wish Hank weren't begging for a beating."
Hank frowned, tugging on his Yankee cap. "I think you are making to much of this…" He blinked when a passing old woman spat at him. "Vally, please kill her."
Valencia glared at him. "I am 45 years old, I run the Alliance, and I am the most powerful being on the planet. I am not a child, nor your lap dog."
"I'll do it."Gabriel said, purple flames forming a gun in his hand.
"Stop that!" Ashleigh snapped. "You want us arrested?" Gabriel grumbled, reabsorbing the gun. "I thought you were here to make sure Nathan didn't find us…now you are threatening to shoot innocent people?"
"She isn't innocent!" Hank shouted. "She spit at me."
Valencia rolled her eyes. "You know, I told Derek you guys would not be different…that you'd be like the sane, rational people we know in our time…looks like I owe him a coke."
"You mean you owe him a bl-"
"Finish that and die, Baby Sylar." Valencia snapped.
Ashleigh glanced over at Lee, who remained stone-faced dispite the humor that came from Carter's future-children. "What's the matter?'
"She was born here." Lee whispered. "I first drew her in this city."
Ashleigh placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "Lee…she wouldn't want you to grieve, to be obsessed with your past. She wanted you to move on…"
"I have no past, no future. All that matters is killing the 7 Horns." He said coldly.
Ashleigh didn't say another word as they entered an apartment complex. Hank looked over the directory, finding the last name they were looking for.
"Williamson, apartment 7G." He stated.
Lee frowned. "I knew a Williamson, once."
"Wouldn't it be freaky if it were the same guy?" Gabriel asked.
"What?" Valencia questioned.
"I'm just saying, if this guy, this Alliance member, was the same man that Lee knew."
"I somehow doubt that." Valencia said, the elevator dinging and opening onto their floor. "Just seems…too strange." She knocked on apartment 7G's door. "Seriously."
The door swung open, revealing a African American man, his hair spiked with the tips dyed white, dressed in a Ramones t-shirt and jeans. He blinked, staring at Lee.
"Lee?"
"Orlando?"
"Called it!" Gabriel sang.
"Orlando?" Ashleigh asked, confused.
"You know him?" Hank asked.
"Ashleigh." Orlando said in a panic, eyes glowing red.
"You know her…" Hank asked, slowly backing away.
"You will never take me, nor will the 7 Horns!" Orlando grabbed Lee, yanking him behind him before he unleashed a blast of what they could only assume was heat vision at Ashleigh. Valencia darted forward, taking the brunt of it as the door slammed shut.
"…I hate being right." Gabriel muttered as he helped a rapidly healing Valencia to her feet."
"Thank god it happens so rarely."
"Yeah thank…hey!"
^&^&^&^
"So all this craziness stems from Carter Daniels, huh?" Ellie asked.
"Pretty much." Malcolm admitted. "The boy has more bloody chaos lines hooked to him than anyone else…seems to attract danger. In less than a year, he's saved the US Mint, died, came back stronger than ever claiming he is God's Voice on Earth, took on Merrick Delpine and destroyed half of Flint, took over one of the largest software companies in the world, and is now taking on the rest of the 7 Horns."
Ellie frowned. "Its like Dragonball Z…only this makes slightly more sense."
"Barely, love, barely." Malcolm admitted.
^&^&^&^
(Switzerland)
Derek glanced over at Carter. "What?"
"I didn't say anything."
"You've wanted to since we landed…spill."
Carter narrowed his eyes. "Do you love my daughter?"
"With all my heart."
"And you treat her well?"
"Equal only to Sarah."
Carter nodded. "And I assume I gave you the standard wedding speech long ago?"
"I hurt her, my body is never found."
Carter smirked. "You hurt her, and I'll time travel, get 30 Carters together, and we will beat you till the end of time."
"…duly noted." Derek stated.
Madrid leaned over to Sarah. "Are they always like this?"
Sarah, who was pushing Linda's wheelchair, shrugged. "Pretty much. Grandpa is a better more…loving towards dad…but he still makes it clear that mom is number one in his book."
Madrid smiled. "As well he should."
Linda sat in her chair, pouting. "I can get around by myself, you know. I don't need your help."
Sarah shrugged. "I like helping. Second favorite aunt and all. Named after ya, aren't I?"
"Huh?" Linda asked as they made their way towards the large estate's door, nestled at the foot of the Alps.
"Sarah Linda Daniels, at your service." Sarah said with a grin. "Named after my favorite aunts."
Linda frowned. "How can your last name be Daniels?"
Derek shrugged. "My mom refused to take my father's last name…you helped save her, Carter, and in honor of that, I was given your name: Derek Carter Daniels."
Carter nodded. "I was worried we were entering an episode of Jerry Springer for a moment there."
Madrid shushed them all as she knocked on the door. The door swung open after a few minutes, revealing a regal looking older woman, tall and lithe, with silver hair and wearing a long tan dress.
"You must be Vic's boy." The woman said with a smile. "I am Adriana…he told me to expect you." She motioned for them to enter. "Come in, come in." Led into the estate, Adriana motioned for one of her servants to take their coats. Carter frowned, looking at his sword, before finally surrendering it. "You will be safe here, my dears, so there will be no need for violence. But come, come…we have much to see."
"You think Vally is still upset?" Madrid asked.
"Probably." Carter admitted. "I just hope mom and dad can get her mind off us for a few hours."
^&^&^&^
(The French Public Zoo)
"Vally! Get off of there!"
Vally giggled she ignored Vic, riding on the back of an elephant. "Weeeeeeeeee!" She laughed.
Helena looked at the zookeepers, blushing. "She's…spirited." At the men's looks, she pulled out her wallet, trying to figure out a good bribe. "Atleast she isn't crying anymore."
^&^&^&^
"My ability is an enhanced cerebral cortex. It allows me to create advanced machines, items that are 100s of years before their time. Cellphones, Ipods, computers…they are all my brainchildren." Adriana smiled. "This is why I have been elected to be the caretaker of the Alliance's most precious items." She began to motion to different items. "The guns of Count Erensto, the sword of Byron the Dashing, the blood of Adam Monroe…I have protected all of these, each item worth the weight of this building in gold, deadly if in the wrong hands."
Carter nodded, examining a sword. "Very impressive."
"That it is." Sarah said, glancing at the vial.
Linda frowned. "We were not told clearly how you may help us, Adriana. What exactly is it that you may provide for us that would allow us to raise our army."
"I hold several key family heirlooms, many of which the families would want back…and would pledge to stand behind you if you were to wage war." Adriana said. "With my help, we will be able to form your army."
Madrid nodded. "We thank you for all you are doing for us…we only hope that we can repay you."
"Oh…you will." Adriana said with a knowing smile. "You will."
^&^&^&^
"So…what do we do now?" Ellie asked, Malcolm finally done with his story.
"Not much, really." Malcolm admitted. "The others are playing their parts, and as long as each one does as I have seen, we should be good to…" Malcolm frowned, blinking his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"The chaos lines…they're…gone." He looked about, trying to gather his bearings. After months of having them with him, for the lines to disappear…without rhyme or reason…it wasn't like when he'd lost his powers during the eclipse…this was something else…as if the lines were…being hidden…
"Oh bloody hell….duck!" Malcolm screamed, diving at Ellie just as the door of the chateau burst open, revealing 15 of Marie Delpine's agents, dressed in black and carrying assault rifles. "Run." Malcolm whispered.
"What?"
"RUN!"