by Adam Sklar
CHAPTER SEVEN: THE IMPOSSIBLE SON
The ground is barren, a wasteland that serves as an instant reminder of the beautiful devastation that occurred moments ago. Beautiful in such a sense that the world has been saved and one lonesome field paid the price. War has been avoided and Wildcard is gone. Riley is a distant memory, his final farewell forewarned Noah of the events to come. Noah winces as he struggles to even limp towards the nearest building, a dark and lonesome church that has barely been damaged by the dramatically devastating explosion. His vision blurs whilst his tinnitus grows exceptionally louder. In the distant fires, he sees his clone faltering away, an unexpected survivor of the unforgiving blast. As he walks with extreme difficulty towards the church, Noah wonders why he continues to search for the truth. He cannot fathom why he wishes to carry on learning how Riley’s conscience was merged with his own. Tiles fall from the front of the church as the structure faced the remnants of the explosion, they clatter onto the ground as Noah stumbles up the steps and through the broken doors into the church. He lurches into the building and passes the pews, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. Tiles fall from the uncomfortably high ceiling, creating an echoing bang as they fall from grace. Noah falls over before the steps that lead up to the lectern, passing out from tremendously unbearable pain. Blood pools around him whilst he lies unconscious.
“Weak. What a waste of a life. You are no son of mine.” Sylar mutters in Noah’s mind.
“Have you any idea of the sheer importance of the dangers I faced? Your so called problems are nothing more than the delirious and farfetched thoughts of a whinging child. You serve no purpose, you shouldn’t even exist. Get up. Get up and do the right thing for once. Get up!” Sylar yells in Noah’s mind whilst he tightens his eyelids, desperately trying to fight the pain.
“Get up!” A stranger shouts and shakes Noah’s body, slowly waking him up.
“We don’t have much time, they’ll be here soon. Come with me.” The stranger directs as three armoured agents for the Preservation of Eden rappel from a helicopter and smash through the once beautiful tinted glass, aiming their weapons towards a heavily vulnerable Noah. The stranger draws his firearm, a Strayer Voigt Infinity handgun, and begins shooting towards the Eden Agents, ridding of them one by one as they fall onto the fragments of glass that followed them into the church.
“Are you okay?” The stranger checks Noah for any signs of injury whilst the helicopter pilot retreats from the scene to fight another day.
“It’ll be going for backup soon, more of them will arrive in five, maybe ten minutes. We have to go.” The stranger continues as he finishes examining Noah, noticing his wounds have healed quickly.
“Who are you?” Noah groans, staring at the stranger, and his horn-rimmed glasses.
“We share the same name, you and I.” He revealed.
“Noah?!” Dillon and Quinton shout as they run across the breaking wooden floor.
“Yes?” The Noahs answer in unison.
“Noah, are you okay? Mr. Bennet helped bring us here.” Dillon’s voice shakes.
“I’m fine. Apparently I just needed to sleep it off. I’m fine… Riley, he’s gone.” Noah answers.
“What happened? I mean, how can he be gone? He’s part of you.” Quinton inquired.
“After the bomb hit, I saw Riley separate from me. It was all in my head. I was knocked unconscious after it hit us, I was ready to die. But Riley spoke to me and he reminded me why I need to carry on, I have to destroy the Godsend Device. The presence of Hope inside of me was slowly killing Riley. I’d like to think that he could see that I was no longer being manipulated by the Nomad and that he felt like he could let go. But… Wildcard is still alive.” Noah summarised.
“We need to go, Noah. More Eden agents will be after you now, so will the Nomad. I know people who can help you, people who can keep you hidden away.” Noah Bennet instructed.
“You don’t want to be around me. I’m unpredictable. I’m responsible for so much evil that has happened.” Noah stammered.
“You’re not evil, Noah. You saved my life, you saved our lives. You didn’t have to do that, but you chose to. You weren’t in control of your powers. You’re good at heart, Noah. I know you are.” Dillon hastily defends Noah.
“What if Riley was the only thing that made me good? Now that he’s gone, I—” Noah is interrupted.
“This Riley might be gone, but I know that a part of him, whatever shape or form that may be, still remains inside you. I’ve seen it for myself, believe me. Funnily enough, he’s related to you. You are not the first person to have their conscience or memories merged with another.” Noah Bennet explains whilst crouching down in order to help Noah stand up.
“There was a girl, Hope. She was the only person who could’ve stopped the Godsend Device safely, Noah. Her powers were energy absorption and it looked like she also had instantaneous cellular regeneration. Instantaneous, Noah, how could I have been able to consume her?” Noah begs Mr. Bennet for an answer.
“My daughter, Claire, has a similar power to Hope’s latter ability. We found others like her shortly after everybody found out about these powers. Sometimes people just find a way to bypass abilities, no matter what they are.” Noah Bennet reflects on the past.
“Is your daughter okay?” Noah ponders.
“Claire? Oh, she’s fine. We’re going through a rough patch at the moment, but otherwise, she’s fine. I didn’t quite agree with her actions, but it would have happened one way or another eventually, with or without her. I’m just looking forward to going home to see her.” Noah Bennet answers. He helps Noah to stand up and takes a small map that contains photographs outside of his pocket.
“You see this point on the map right here? These pictures too? That’s a safe-house I have not too far from here. The place was used for Primatech housing, the Company I used to work for. I know you need to see a place to be able to teleport to it. Can you take us there?” He encourages Noah.
“I can try.” Noah expresses weakly, as he successfully teleports them above the living room of the abandoned house, causing them to fall down onto the wooden floor.
“You might need to work a bit on the landing next time.” Noah Bennet exclaims, standing up and heading to the window to look outside the curtain. “Looks clear, still. I was here a few hours ago with a friend. They’ve renovated this entire street. This house was always under the Company name though.” He explains and holsters his weapon.
“Thank you.” Noah struggles to speak.
“I know this must be very difficult and very confusing for you, Noah. I wish I could make it easier for you, you’re innocent in all of this. A pawn in a horribly corrupt game of chess.” Noah Bennet sympathises. “There’s a reason why I’m here. Hiro? You can come out now.” He calls out as a figure emerges from upstairs, donning a black outfit with his Kensei sword sheathed and resting on his back. “This is Hiro Nakamura, he likes to call himself the master of time and space. He certainly is. As you can tell from my accent, I’m not from here and neither is he. A friend of ours told us about a man who was going to bring about the end the world. Eventually, word spread of a device that would be the catalyst for that and we couldn’t let that happen. That’s how we found out that you, The Impossible Son, existed. So Hiro to brought us here.” He introduces Hiro to the others.
“Hello, other Noah.” Hiro nods politely and smiles, walking down the steps into the living room in order to join the group. Noah nods back towards Hiro whilst he tries ever so hard to understand just how important his role has become.
“Do you know why I exist? Why I’m here when I was never born?” Noah shakes.
“Do you?” Noah Bennet responds quietly.
“I think so. I didn’t before, it was all such a confusing puzzle, as if all the pieces were purposely shaped incorrectly. I couldn’t piece any of the evidence together.” Noah answers.
“I know a friend of mine saw a future where you existed, you were just a little boy. This
future never came to happen, at least not in this universe. This… Nomad… must have spent a long time looking for a parallel universe similar enough in which you were born. It seems he did.” Noah Bennet reflects on the past. “Do you know why you were given Noah as your name?” He asks.
“No. I know that I get my surname from my father, but that’s it.” Noah responds.
“You were named after me. God knows what I did in this alternate universe of yours, but clearly I did something right to help your father. That took a little longer in this universe and of course by then, your mother had already passed away, so you were never born here. I reckon if your mother were still alive, you’d have probably been called Peter in this universe.” Noah Bennet describes.
“Is my father still alive?” Noah inquires.
“Oh, I’m certain he is. The last time I heard from him, he was in hiding on a Greek island. He stayed around for a while after the Sullivan Incident, but he was a highly desired individual. I think he came back to the United States eventually, but I’m not certain. We can always look for him after this is all over, it might be nice for you two to meet, you technically are related after all, even if you weren’t born in this universe.” Noah Bennet responds clearly.
“What now?” Dillon inquires, whilst being comforted by Quinton.
“I don’t know a great deal about the Godsend Device. All I know is that it can give and take powers to and from people. I think it helped The Nomad to understand how to harness abilities through the use of machines, like with Dillon and Quinton here. He made one of me and I think he intended for it to use the Godsend Device, but it went rogue and The Nomad tried to have it killed. I don’t know, it’s all speculation at this point. I’ve not even seen The Nomad since this all started.” Noah responds abruptly.
“We know more about it, Noah.” Hiro steps forward and nods. “The Godsend Device is from a parallel universe, much like yourself. This was one where the Company thrived globally, it was solely responsible for trying to create a man-made stone that could immediately harness any categorised abilities and dispense one or more of them into any person. They could never get it to work. The Makers searched far and wide for somebody who could help them and they came across another version of you, Noah. Your ability is pure omnipotence, power unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. They killed this version of you, harvested everything he had to offer in order to weaponise his abilities in the form of The Godsend Device, they called it The First Machine. However, even after all of this, nobody else could use it other than you. Even Arthur himself couldn’t use it. They lacked the power to bring the other version of you back, so to keep the stone safe, they altered it in such a way that it would only work exclusively with your own biological blueprint. Of course, with this version of you dead, they put the stone away for another time, waiting to find somebody who could bring this other version of you back to life. Needless to say, The Nomad found that universe and took it for himself, then he found you in another universe and took you too. It is most fortunate that you aren’t able to harness your power entirely, because you might lose yourself. Judging by what we’ve seen and heard, your own emotions determine what powers you are able to use, giving yourself some kind of cap on the powers.” He clarifies. “Like Kryptonite, only friendlier.” Hiro smiles.
“Riley’s power varied based on his own mood. When his conscience was placed inside of me, it must have helped me to not lose control over my powers.” Noah surmised whilst remembering what Riley showed him before his conscience disappeared. “The Petrelli Manors in this country are all compromised. The Nomad has a clone of himself in every single one. Not only did The Nomad make me forget what happened before I ended up outside one of the Petrelli Manors, he made me forget what the man who raised me looked like. We need to liberate the other Manors.” He insists.
“There are only two Petrelli Manors left in the country. The others were wiped out by that terrorist group. The first and fifth Manors are intact. Run by Alfred Carver, and Edmund Feltham. I presume these are also clones of The Nomad.” Noah Bennet assumes.
“Most likely. Maybe they can tell us about where The Nomad might be.” Hiro exclaims.
“We’ll do that together. You need to focus on finding the Godsend Device and stopping your clone; Wildcard. He’s probably healed by now and he doesn’t have Riley’s emotional cap to stop him from being reckless with his powers, he could be scanning for you right now.” Dillon explains, as she looks towards Quinton.
“Dillon’s right. You have more important things to do, we can get back to you after we’ve secured the Manors. What should we do with Alfred and Edmund?” Quinton asks.
“No, if he has any powers left, they’re fading fast. That missile had a chemical compound that disables the abilities of a clone. As for The Nomad’s clones in the other manors, restrain them, please don’t hurt them unless you have to. Frank might have been a clone of The Nomad, but his humanity was still intact, unlike what I’ve heard about The Nomad so far.” Noah instructs. “I can’t kill Wildcard easily, powers don’t work on clones. There’s nothing I can do to guarantee stopping it without destroying my surroundings.” He stammers fearfully.
“I have just the thing.” Hiro smiles as he removes his sword and hands it over to Noah.
“I can’t take this from you.” Noah shakes his head in disagreement.
“Yes you can. You must. Just make sure to give it back.” Hiro nods, placing the sword and its strap around Noah’s head, resting it on his back. “Just remember, it is not the sword. It is the man. I believe the sword will channel your focus and hone in on your true nature. If Wildcard is truly weakened, this may be all you need.” He speaks confidently.
“Noah? Do you think you could give us a head start?” Quinton interrupts politely.
“I don’t know where the other Petrelli Manors are.” Noah answers regretfully.
“Nonsense, I am the master of time and space. No offense, other Noah.” Hiro quips.
“None taken, honestly.” Noah shrugs with a slight smile.
“Okay. See you soon, Noah. Take care.” Dillon speaks carefully whilst Hiro places his hands onto Dillon and Quinton’s shoulders and closes his eyes tightly, teleporting away.
“I… I suggest… you and I finish what we started.” Wildcard stumbles into the house invisibly, his footsteps so delicately light that both Noahs cannot detect where he is coming from.
“Is that Wildcard?” Noah Bennet whispers, as he quickly grabs his gun.
“Yes.” Noah answers hastily.
“Now… who… are you?” Wildcard mutters right against Noah Bennet’s ear. He reacts by knocking the butt of his gun against The Clone’s face, causing him to reveal his severely disfigured and wounded state from the explosion. He is excessively dishevelled and decrepit that it is truly a wonder why Wildcard has persisted to continue his fight with Noah Gray. The explosion has very clearly hindered his abilities and dulled his awareness, making him oblivious to his otherwise apparent crippled condition. “That isn’t a polite way to greet me, Bennet. Hmm, I’m sensing somebody very important in your mind, somebody who you truly fight for. I’m getting a name… Clarice? Claire? Wait, Claire’s a bear? No, no. Must be a preposterous nickname of some sort, of course. If I ever see this Claire of yours, trust me when I say I’ll flay her alive. Hmm, her power is rapid cellular regeneration? Well, maybe I’ll just test how rapid that truly is.” He grunts.
“You stay the hell away—” Noah Bennet swears through his teeth.
“Don’t, please don’t aggravate it.” Noah advices. “Why do you want me dead? You’re my clone, why are you evil?” He asked whilst confused.
“I’m so sorry, please forgive me, I didn’t mean to be so, so horrible to you.” Wildcard speaks sombrely and begins to pout.
“We can work this out, together. All of us.” Noah firmly insists.
“How can you ever forgive me? I hurt you so much. I hurt your poor sensitive feelings.” Wildcard begins t
o burst out laughing, coughing from the pain it causes. “Ouch.” He grunts. “Oh, didn’t I tell you? The Nomad made some alterations through that Machine of his. When he… created me… he removed my ability to feel sympathy or empathy for anybody. To put it in simpler terms, I’m what you might call a psychopath. That’s why… you and I… are not alike, coward.” He huffs aggressively.
“Your problems don’t lie here, they lie with The Nomad. Go and find him instead.” Noah Bennet speaks encouragingly, as Noah slowly reaches for his sword.
“No, you see, I don’t quite like the idea of there being another me out there, it really causes an itch on my brain and you see, I can’t quite scratch that itch away.” Wildcard shrugs mockingly whilst leaping forwards towards Noah, knocking him into the wall and strangling him as he drops Hiro’s sword. The Clone tilts his head sideways, analysing Noah’s very fearful reactions whilst he violently pushes his hand through Noah’s stomach, penetrating the skin as blood begins to spatter onto the floor. With no alternate choice, Noah Bennet suddenly fires his gun into the back of Wildcard’s leg, causing him to drop Noah.
“Ooh, that tickled. Would you like me to tickle you too? No, no. Perhaps I’ll keep you around so I can let you watch your daughter writhe in pain. I find a sense of enjoyment from bringing pain to others, I think you do too.” Wildcard chuckled as he walks towards Noah Bennet. “Life is a wonderful thing, is it not? I do not need to be sane of mind to see the beauty in existence itself, but I feel that you don’t appreciate the gift of life, your pain is unbearable to the point that you may just be very happy to receive the gift of death. That sweet relief from all your suffering will be just a delight to you.” The Clone surmises as he raises his hand towards Noah Bennet. Noah immediately strikes the sword through Wildcard’s back as it bursts out through the front of his chest, eviscerating his heart. The Clone grunts and blinks rapidly with a scowled expression on his face. He slowly walks forwards and tries to escape the sword so that his chest may heal.
“Oh. Oh. But I wanted to go. Let me go home.” Wildcard mumbles illiterately as he falls dead to the floor, his pale body and severe injuries would be enough to make any mortician come to the conclusion that he had been dead for days.
“The problem with bad guys, especially psychopaths, is that they like to talk too much. They probably think they have all the time in the world.” Noah Bennet guesses, as he takes off his blood spattered glasses and kneels down to inspect the Clone.
“Is he dead?” Noah asks quietly whilst trembling in shock.
“Oh, he’s gone. You did it. He doesn’t quite have all of your powers after all.” Noah Bennet nods, followed by him cleaning his glasses and putting them back on.
“It was the missile, the chemicals. But I think you did it too, you stopped him from… well… disembowelling me.” Noah breathes as he shares the violent and perhaps almost unnecessary achievement with Noah Bennet. Hiro reappears in the room, slightly startled by the unexpected mess on the carpet.
“OWh. What did I miss?” Hiro remarked.
“A lot. You missed quite a lot, my friend.” Noah Bennet shakes his head.
“I see that I gave you my sword at an opportune time.” Hiro smiled. “Oh, but it is bloody.” His smile turned to a sad frown.
“I’ll clean it, I promise.” Noah stammered apologetically.
“We’ll have to get another one made just for you, Noah.” Noah Bennet exclaimed.
“Did we have to do that? Tell me we had to.” Noah begins to allow guilt to rise to the surface whilst he contemplates as to whether they could have restrained Wildcard instead.
“I’d only seen him for five minutes, and in those five minutes alone, he was one of the most messed up people I’ve known. He seemed too dangerous to keep alive.
“I was nearly like him before. Would you have done that to me too?” Noah ponders.
“Never. You aren’t a psychopath like he was, he was created that way. You learned from your mistakes, you were raised in a way that no child should ever be raised. You’ve learned so much in such a short amount of time about life on the outside. I’m proud of you.” Noah Bennet smiles, firmly placing his hand on Noah’s shoulder and reassuring him once more.
“Thank you, Mr. Bennet… Thank you, so much.” Noah expresses his gratitude.
“Please, I know it’s confusing, but you may call me Noah.” Noah Bennet insists.
“Let’s not confuse people further.” Noah smirks subtly. “Are Dillon and Quinton okay?” he asks quietly whilst Hiro still appears to be distracted by the body on the floor. Noah Bennet stands in front of Hiro, obscuring Wildcard’s body. “Hiro?” He called out.
“Yes. Mr. Dillon and Miss. Quinton are just fine. They are at the first Petrelli Manor now.” Hiro explained.
“Dillon’s the girl, Quinton’s the guy, just saying.” Noah reminded Hiro.
“Hmm. I was calling the big one Dillon and the little one Quinton. No matter.” Hiro shrugs. “The first manor was rioting by the time I took them there. Looks like they had already found out that Alfred was a mole placed by the company’s Big Boss. Dillon and Quinton should help restore order.” He explains calmly.
“That’s okay, I’m just glad they’re alright. Can I ask you for a favour?” Noah pleads as his trembling subsides.
“Of course, other Noah. What is it?” Hiro responds.
“Can you… take me back in time… so I can save a friend of mine who died?” Noah begs.
“I’m sorry, I can’t do that, Noah. Every single action has a consequence of its own. Every consequence led to this moment, to us three standing right here. These consequences may have been important. Not to be mean, but maybe it was of cardinal importance that this tragedy happened.” Hiro explains.
“Then… I… I’d like you to show us the future. Before, I was told that it was a barren wasteland after all the Preservation of Eden bombs fell all around the world due to the Clone, but only one bomb fell, and now the Clone is dead. I’d like to see what the future has in store for us.” Noah stammers.
“That, I can do.” Hiro smiles.
“It’s possible the future can give us some insight as to whether or not we are making the right choices, every single action of ours opens up a new road. It’s nearly impossible to ever drive down the perfect road, but we sure can avoid the worst one.” Noah Bennet speaks and nods as he offers his thoughtful insight. Hiro places his hands over Noah and Noah Bennet’s shoulders and closes his eyes tensely and teleports into the future. The land is barren still, the surface is covered in cracks as the sky is lit up with yellow clouds that flash with the most volatile and aggressive lightning. Noah Bennet and Hiro immediately fall to their knees whilst the unforgiving planet makes it a struggle for them to survive.
“Whoa, whoa!” Noah shouts and places his hands onto Hiro and Noah Bennet, focusing strongly on keeping them alive, allowing them to survive these newfound conditions.
“Thank you. How do you do that?” Noah Bennet asks curiously.
“I don’t know. If I want something enough, somehow I’m able to do it. Sometimes it doesn’t work. It was only recently that I managed to have control over my powers again, but like you said, I have that cap so I don’t overload myself like I nearly did before.” Noah explains. “The future hasn’t changed. It’s still a deserted wasteland. But we stopped the bombs. Only one fell.” He mutters.
“Looks like somebody had another idea.” Noah Bennet answers.
“How many years into the future are we?” Noah asks.
“Only two and a half.” Hiro responds. “Is there anyone left?” He remarks.
“I have a strange feeling, it’s like I can sense somebody. But I don’t know where they are.” Noah comments on the bizarre sensation that he is feeling, as he struggles to pinpoint a place in his mind where this person may be.
“We can try to use our powers together in a joint effort? With me, you don’t need to see a place to get to it.” Hiro suggests, his hands still resting o
n their shoulders.
“Do it.” Noah closes his eyes as he concentrates with such motivation to focus on the person he can sense. They teleport into a deserted area in a derelict Japan during the dead of night, the buildings in the distance decrepit and the environment relentless.
“To… Tokyo?” Hiro stammers.
“Look. There’s a large cabin over there.” Noah Bennet states whilst pointing out a circular area that seems to be self-sustaining with grass, plants, trees, and power generated by wind. A figure walks out of the cabin, as if expecting their imminent arrival.
“Just on time. Not a moment too soon. We don’t have long.” The wounded figure in tattered rags rasps as a piece of equipment to aid breathing rests on his face.
“You were expecting us?” Noah answers, approaching the cabin and still placing his hands onto Hiro and Noah Bennet to support them against the hazardous surroundings.
“This here is your future, our future. I’m you, Noah.” Future Noah answers.
“What happened?” Noah Bennet asks impatiently.
“It’s good to see you, Noah. It’s been a long time. Or at least it feels like it has. I can’t answer your question fully, time is moving in circles and you need to be the one to break this constant cycle. I will tell you this, we always end up in this future, one where humans have driven themselves to extinction. I am one of the last ones, after all. It was easy for you to sense me Noah, for that very reason. There were a few others like us who survived, but most of them perished soon after. You can let go of Hiro and Noah, this area is stable.” Future Noah answers whilst he looks towards his cabin. Noah apprehensively lets go of Hiro and Noah Bennet, who begin to breathe just fine.
“I’m not alone, there’ll be a couple of people you’ll want to see. I’ll at least give you this chance even though they won’t remember this when you save our future.” He explains, as somebody else steps out from the Cabin.
“Riley?” Noah stammers.
“Hi, Noah.” Future Riley smiles.
“How? How are you alive? You’re not a clone, are you?” Noah struggles to ask.
“No. I’m not a clone. You saved me eventually. It took a long time for me to learn how to live again, to heal, since most of my conscience had already merged with yours. The human body is only strong enough to hold one conscience permanently. Luckily with you being as powerful as you are, I was able to hold on just long enough to be saved.” Future Riley answers as another person leaves the Cabin also.
“Hope… I’m so glad you’re out.” Noah smiles emotionally. Riley comes towards Noah and cuddles him. Hope follows Riley and cuddles Noah straight afterwards.
“I’m so sorry.” He struggles to speak.
“It’s okay, Noah. I forgave you a long time ago. You weren’t in control of yourself. I know you now, and I know that you’re good. The Noah I know today? He’s morally correct, forgiving, understanding and the most perfect person I’ve ever known. He’s saved so many people, until it happened.” Hope explained, as a third figure emerges from the cabin.
“Hello. You don’t know me yet, but hopefully you will no matter what happens in your future. My name is Jared Quincy. I joined you a bit further down the line, after it all happened.” Jared introduces himself.
“Jared Quincy? Aren’t you Hisoka’s son?” Noah murmurs under his breath.
“I am.” Jared answers.
“I’m so sorry about your father, I knew him for such a short time but he provided me with the insight I needed.” Noah groans apologetically.
“My father’s alive, I can feel it. Somehow.” Jared answers confidently.
“Jared has been a big help, he’s kept Noah alive for longer than he should’ve been.” Riley explains.
“For longer than he should’ve been? What exactly happened?” Noah asks.
“I’m dying. I’m using every bit of my power to try and heal the world, but I’ve only been able to support this part of the city. The reason Mr. Bennet, Hiro, Hope and Riley are able to breathe right now is because I’m constantly shielding this area. Cleansing it. I was slowly expanding the radius because I thought I could eventually cover the entire world, but as of the last two weeks that radius has been diminishing. I don’t sleep, the others hardly do either. We know this is the end for us, we just knew we were waiting for you. Just over two years ago, the same thing happened to me, but I failed. This is our final quest.” Future Noah reveals.
“Why are you in Tokyo?” Hiro ponders.
“We came here to find the JJ Twins, we wanted their help. They must have been long gone because we never found them. There are bunkers nearby that contain signs that they were there, but all that remains are glimpses of their former presence.” Future Noah answers.
“Am I still alive?” Hiro asks, looking into the doorway of the cabin.
“The last time I saw you, you were. We tied ourselves here because it was too dangerous to find anybody else. All I know is that after it happened, you went back to America with Noah Bennet. I’d like to think that you’re both in a bunker somewhere with your families and friends and that you knew I could handle myself. There’s nothing to suggest that it would be any other way.” Future Noah hopes. “Like I said, we don’t have much time. Noah. Something will happen, and you need to do it differently than I did. I’ll tell you what I did. I didn’t use the Godsend Device, I refused to touch it, at first. The Nomad killed everybody, Dillon and Quinton too. He then told me the Godsend Device was the only way to save Riley because there was still a little bit of him left. I reluctantly agreed because I selfishly wanted Riley back. Things went bad for a little while, but then he went crazy and tried to find a way to go back in time and change things, of course, he’d killed all the time travellers he could find so that they wouldn’t interfere with his plan. Hiro, however, was safe in hiding last time I checked in with him. What I’m trying to tell you is that you need to think of another way, find a way to get rid of both The Nomad, the Godsend Device, and to save Riley too. You just need to—” Future Noah is interrupted as everything instantly turns black and falls silent. Noah, Hiro and Noah Bennet start floating, unable to speak to or hear each other. Their bodies begin freezing from the sheer cold emptiness. The area is dimly lit and Hiro manages to grab onto both Noahs and teleport back into the safe house. They cough violently and take in a deep breath, slowly recovering from the events that just occurred two years into the future.
“What happened?!” Noah Bennet shouts despondently.
“The future… It changed.” Hiro murmurs whilst catching his breath.
“What he told you would have changed the course of your actions, changing the future. But it was even worse than before, there was nothing.” Noah Bennet reacts in shock.
“We were in space, in the exact same place we were standing just moments before. The Earth just disappeared. It was gone. There were no nearby stars, everything around us was nothingness.” Hiro speaks expressionlessly.
“What could possibly have changed to result in Earth ceasing to exist?” Noah Bennet speaks woefully.
“I don’t know, but that’s what he was trying to warn me about. That I’d need to do something differently. The future is constantly ever-changing, I can still prevent that from ever happening.” Noah insists.
“Perhaps we can.” Noah Bennet exclaims.
“What can you tell me? What don’t I know? The only thing I know of him is this mirage he presented when he raised Riley and I. Nothing more. It could be useful to know everything there is about him. How did you two find out about The Nomad?” Noah asks diligently.
“Perhaps we could tell you an abridged version of our side of the story. From the first time we realised The Nomad was going to be a force to be reckoned with, up until I found you.” Noah Bennet offers.
“Please, go ahead.” Noah answers as they sit down on the sofas in the living room, whilst Hiro stands against the living room window and stares outside towards the sky, observing our celestial neighbours.
