In Greek mythology, the gods lorded over the mortals. The Greeks believed their gods to be petty and temperamental, showing favoritism. In other words, like themselves, only wielding great power. A victory in war was attributed to favor with the god Ares or goddess Athena. A massive, ship-wrecking storm was the work of an unsatisfied Poseidon. Though, if history has told us anything, there is a balance between fate and free will. Our actions have consequences, even if we can’t see them. Some things cannot be avoided, but as humans we are given the reasoning to react to them in a productive—or detrimental—manner. But what can we do when we see the seemingly inevitable storms of the future on the horizon? Do we dare challenge the will of the gods and make our own destiny? And, if we succeed, what would we find when we get there?
: : :
First Street
This was not a good day for Xavier Daniau. He was just trying to make a little cash by picking off a jewelry store with a bad security system. It was a rather easy task with his new abilities. Except now he was on the run from the city’s local vigilante.
His crew was able to steal a few dozen pricy Synthetic Shots from a delivery truck. At first it seemed like a good idea: abilities would no doubt aid in their noble pursuits and they’d have a few dozen shots left over to sell. On the contrary, it would turn out to be nothing more than a precursor to a big superpower-fueled mêlée. In the interest of their individual safety, they decided to split up and work solo for a while.
Xavi had gained the ability to throw things with perfect aim. It came with the added bonus of a bit of super strength, allowing him to launch some heavier objects. Nothing too big, he discovered when he tried to throw a car and ended up throwing out his back instead. And his projectiles typically traveled bullet-fast. Overall, it was useful for a thief.
But not today, he realized. The hooded vigilante was chasing him relentless and his powers were ineffective against her. St. Joan was just too talented. Little was know about her. She was assumed to be female, because of the name. Xavi couldn’t deny she appeared female, judging by her hip-hugging jeans. Her face, however, was obscured by the hooded sweatshirt she wore. On her feet were Converse sneakers, which ought to have decreased her menacing ambiance, but the kris dagger in her hand more than compensated for that. Xavi was definitely trying to avoid coming into contact with the curved blade.
He did his best to slow down his pursuer by launching obstacles her way, but it was to no avail. She flipped over, somersaulted around, kicked aside, or otherwise rendered his ability worthless. Xavi had read the comic book about her. She was a “muscle mimic”, whatever that meant. What it mean, as he was finding out, was that she had the agility of champion gymnast and knew a lot of different types of martial arts.
Finding open air to her advantage, Xavi decided to take the fight indoors. There was a coffee bean warehouse by the docks that was out of commission for the hurricane season. A stray anchor was the perfect item for knocking down the door for easy entry. Once inside, Xavi collected items for the fight: abandoned tools and other scraps. He started his bombardment immediately once cornered.
He threw his last reserve item: a crowbar, with deadly accuracy, but St. Joan’s quickness proved to be too much. She easily dodged the weapon. “My turn,” she commented, pulling out her kris. Xavi’s blood froze as he watched St. Joan throw the dagger with his telltale arm twist. She couldn’t match the speed at which he threw things, but she definitely copied his accuracy.
The blade appeared to miss, giving Xavi momentary hope, at least until he tried to escape and promptly fell to the ground, finding his jean leg “nailed” to wall. He struggled to get the curved blade out of the wall and blindly threw it. It missed by miles and he found himself strangle-held by the vigilante.
He grinned. “Bad move,” he called and lunged his body forward, throwing St. Joan across the room. She recovered midair and contorted her body so that she landed feet-first on the wall, using her legs to cushion the impact.
Blessing his good fortune, he pulled out a gun.
Xavi laughed. “Sweetie, don’t you know never to bring a knife to a gun fight? Let’s see if you can dodge this.” He set his sights on St. Joan.
And promptly lost his gun when his arm was pulled aside and his wrist painfully twisted. He felt a pair of sharp points in his back, and then a powerful jolt of electricity rendered him unconscious.
In a gray suit and tie, with a gun strapped to his belt and a taser in his hand, Lyle Bennet emerged from the shadows. “No problem,
“Carlson wanted him captured.”
“Well, we’ll throw him in the trunk. Make sure there’s nothing that he could use as a bullet. Empty his pockets.”
Monica smiled proudly and lightly punched Lyle in the shoulder. “Will do. He’d be proud, you know.”
“I know,” he said passively, handcuffing Daniau.
: : :
Kirby Square
Peter Petrelli woke up and found himself in courtyard of
But something wasn’t right. He shouldn’t be in
Except for Matt Parkman.
“Matt?”
Hurriedly, Matt stated, “Peter, we don’t have much time.”
“Why are we at
“We’re not at
“I take it she didn’t let you bring me back to life?”
“Hardly.”
Peter began to explain, “I brought my double from 2007…”
“He escaped. He found Sylar at the Bennets’ old house in Costa Verde and took his ability. Pinehearst agents showed up and killed his son and Sylar went nuclear. He killed one agent and nearly killed my wife.”
“Dammit. He’s not ready for Sylar’s power. I’m sorry about your wife.”
“Listen, Peter, I need your help.”
: : :
Residential Quarters
Primatech Research Facility
Gabriel screamed in pain as Elle dug her fingers into his bare chest, filling him with massive doses of electricity. Her fingers glowed brightly from the transfer and her teeth were clenched in fury. She finally let up, looking very relieved afterwards.
Gabriel breathed heavily as his abilities healed him. “So, I take it you’re really angry at my mother?”
Elle, wearing a tight “Naughty”-embossed tee and a cotton sleep shorts, rolled her neck. “I kind of liked that Noah was the only accident in my life. My dad was in control of my whole life. In a way, it was like I finally bucked his plans. I was wrong. She planned even him.”
“Anything else bothering you?”
“I was at the grocery store today and some lady cut in line in front of me.” After an inviting gesture from her husband, Elle dug her hands into Gabriel’s chest and let loose her lightning. It was a quick burst, though. She sighed with contentment.
“Feeling better?” he asked kindly.
“Yep, got all my crazy out for the day.”
Gabriel frowned playfully, pursing his lips comically. “Too bad, I was hoping there was still a little bit left that I’d have to knock out of you.” His frown turned to a lecherous grin.
Coyly, she replied, “Well, you’ll find I’m a bottomless pit of crazy. I’m sure we could dig up a little for you to excise.” As Gabriel began to kiss her neck, she began to narrate, “Oh, here’s something: since I found out that Noah was immune to electricity, I might have been doing some experiments.”
“Hmm? Me, too,” he whispered in her ear, which he followed up by a lick and playful bite. “Since all his toys were destroyed, I may have gotten him some unusual replacements. Pointy things. Sharp things. Dangerous things.” This last part he said humming his words against her throat.
With a tight grin on his thighs, she replied, “That’s nefarious. I doubt the American Board of Child Psychology would approve. I have friends there. Well, stuffy old doctors that made me talk to them and declared me loony. Still, they wouldn’t approve.”
Capturing her lips, he agreed, “They mostly certainly would not.” He slid his hand under her shirt and held her waste, pressing his forehead against hers.
She asked, “Why do you love my crazy, deranged ass?”
He slipped one hand away from her waste to give her buttock a playful spank. “Well, you have to admit, it’s a rather attractive ass.”
“Oh, you’re gonna pay for that, Mister.”
Forty-six minutes and fifty-five seconds later…
Gabriel, lying contently on his back, watched as his wife propped herself up on one elbow and began using her other hand to try to shape his eyebrows using her charged finger, only to have the hair grow back. She wasn’t the least bit peeved about it.
“You know,” Gabriel spoke in a soft voice, “if the world were to crack in half, I think our son would be the only one to survive. Ever-breathers would freeze. Burners would suffocate. Even regenerators would eventually shatter their brains on a stray asteroid.”
“You really suck at pillow talk,” Elle commented, sticking her finger in his ear.
Groaning as the hearing returned on that side of his head, he replied, “How would you know? The only pillow you’ve talked on is mine.”
“True,” she admitted, but noted, “but I watch a lot of TV. Post-coital lovers say nice things.”
“The last time I tried to talk sweet to you, you tried to burn off certain down-South regions of my body.”
“Well, in my defense, you’re a bad sweet talker.”
“Guilty as charged. Going back to the whole end of the world.” Elle wobbled her head acerbically. “I think you know what that means.”
“You’re hell-bent on saving the world. So, I’m guessing you want to come and work with your intelligent, capable, and dead-sexy wife?”
“I was actually hoping to work with you.” She raised a threatening hand. “I tried to retreat once and look where it got us.”
“You’re gonna get teased. I kind of use work to blow off steam about you. Certain untrue and highly embarrassing things might have been said. Sorry,” she finished apathetically.
: : :
Molly Walker
Mohinder Suresh’s Lab
Molly pushed open the door to the studio. She walked around, finding the once immaculate lab now filthy with years of piled up dust and lab equipment littered across the floor.
“Mohinder?” she called into the darkness.
“Molly?” she heard a voice in the other room.
“Yes! Mohinder, where are you? It’s me!”
The familiar voice was insistent, “Molly, please leave.”
“No! I came all this way to find you.”
“You shouldn’t have come. Matt was taking good care of you.”
“He sold out to the bastards that killed my mom.”
“Language,” he scolded paternally.
“Matt, I’m not ten years old any more.”
His voice still coming from the other room, Mohinder questioned, “I thought… Sylar killed your mother.”
“Not my birth mom. Daphne, Matt’s wife.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
Molly approached the other room. “Are you okay?”
The figure, who was peeking out of the curtain, pulled back. “No, I’m not. I tried to recreate the formula that gives synthetic abilities and I made a horrible mistake.”
“Mohinder, there’s no reason to hide.” She opened the curtain and looked in. The figure raced to the side of the room.
“Yes, there is.” He came out of the shadows, still hidden beneath a hooded sweatshirt. “The formula; it gave me abilities, but it disfigured me. Turned me into a monster.”
“You don’t sound like a monster.”
“It didn’t affect my voice.”
“That’s not what I meant. I mean, if you were a bad guy, wouldn’t you be committing crimes or something?”
“Oh, I have. I’ve kidnapped a great many evolved humans in an attempt to reverse the change. I gave up years ago.”
Molly noted the strange, human-sized, web-like sacs on the wall. They were empty. “Mohinder, I don’t care what you look like. I need your help.”
“There’s nothing I can do for you, Molly.”
“Yes, there is.”
Director's Commentary: So much fun stuff happens in this episode. I introduce the Monica/Lyle pair-up that both those actors and I were very excited about. I begin the Matt/Peter arc that will carry the series until the end of my 12-episode commitment. And Zach and Kristen got to have their awkward naughty scene that they'd been dreading/anticipating.
Written and Directed by Christopher VanDrey
Milo Ventimiglia ... Peter Petrelli
Kristen Bell ... Elle Gray
Zachary Quinto ... Gabriel Gray
Greg Grunberg ... Matt Parkman
Sendhil Ramamurthy ... Mohinder Suresh
Dana Davis ... Monica Dawson/St. Joan
Randall Bentley ... Lyle Bennet
Sean Maher ... Xavier Daniau
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