Heroes

My brother Joseph and I have had two families.

The first one,

well, let's just say it didn't work out too well.

But over the years, we made ourselves a new one.

And it was to this family, all of you,

That his heart really belonged.

You see,

a family is something that Joseph and I needed.

It offered us protection from the outside world,

a world that never understood or appreciated

what makes us different.

There are others like us out there,

in the shadows, in the light,

each grasping for meaning in a world

that won't accept them for who they really are.

They, like us, are blessed,

gifted with extraordinary abilities.

And they, like us, struggle with finding their place in an ordinary world,

haunted by their past

from those who would harm them and keep them from their destiny.

Every one of them deserves a chance to be who they really are.

But to what end? For what purpose?

Here in this place, we offer salvation.

We offer hope.

We offer redemption.

And one by one, they will come to our side,

to our family,

and they will find their way home.

And all who have gathered will be strong.

And all who have gathered will stand in unison.

I say it's time we found our way back home again.

Find your way home, Brother.

You must be my new roommate.

Yeah, I guess I am. I'm Claire.

Hi, I'm Annie. It's nice to finally meet you, Claire.

You, too.

The school, they wouldn't release any information.

Otherwise I would have friended you on Facebook.

That's my fault. I always check those little privacy boxes for some reason.

I did that same thing with my AP Classmates profile

after I got a B+ in AP physics.

Are you on APClassmates. Com?

No, I'm not in advanced placement. I got my GED.

It's not because I dropped out or anything. I was just traveling.

You got into this school with a GED?

What do your parents do?

Uh... My mom breeds championship show dogs

and my dad works for the government.

So that's how you got in with a GED.

No. I just got really good scores.

Oh. Well, you'll probably place in Fenten's linear algebra class, then, today.

Today?

He only takes 35 students a semester,

and the placement test is today at 1:00.

You get in and it pretty much sets the whole dominoes into motion, you know?

So, what's your plan for graduate school?

I don't really have one.

Guess that's kind of why I'm here.

No, you have to go to college with the plan.

How are you gonna find your future without a map?

You have a map of your future?

Yeah.

See, I call this my trajectory.

This is me in three years, graduating magna cum laude in poli-sci pre-law.

This is me in eight years, Massachusetts Attorney General.

And this is me in 12 years,

being sworn in as the youngest governor in US history.

Wow, you really thought that through.

Don't you think it's time you put childish things behind you

and thought this through yourself, Claire?

I mean, don't let GED be a lifestyle choice.

I'll tell you what. If you want, I'll help you make your own trajectory.

It can be our project.

Sounds great.

Dispatch, this is Unit 5-9. We are 12 blocks out. We're on it.

On it? We're on it.

Look at this parking lot. We're not going anywhere in this mess.

You're right.

What are you doing?

I'm gonna hoof it.

You're crazy. We're 12 blocks away.

You'll never make it on foot.

Hesam, I grew up out here. There's always a shortcut.

Hi. I'm here to save you.

Roomie! Hey, Claire!

Hey! Hi!

Sorry.

I'm so excited.

You know, if you pass this test,

then we're gonna be in class together.

You and I are gonna keep each other on our tippy toes.

But please don't think of this as a competition, okay?

This is about sisterhood.

Yay. Sisterhood!

Okay! This is a placement test for Linear Algebra 170.

Thirty-five of you geniuses will be lucky enough to get in this class.

The rest, you can try next semester.

You each have 45 minutes to solve this equation.

Please show your work.

Is this a joke?

I know. It's so easy.

Are you sweating? No.

No, it's just a little hot in here.

Where are you going?

This class isn't for me.

There he is!

So, that pregnant woman?

Uh-huh.

Heard she delivered twins. Named them both Peter.

That pregnant woman's name is Kristie, and she had twin girls.

Thank you. Named them Haley and Katie.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hey, they're still up in Neonatal.

You know, you should stop by.

They'd like to thank you in person.

I'm good.

What?

You single-handedly saved three lives.

If it was me, I'd be floating on cloud nine right now.

I am.

You could have fooled me.

What's going on with you?

If I had showed up 30 seconds later,

that woman, her babies, they'd be dead.

It's too close, man. I gotta be faster.

Dude, you got there faster than humanly possible.

If I was a religious man, I'd think it was a miracle.

A miracle.

Catch you tomorrow.

Well, hang on. Where you going?

Took another shift.

We just got off a double!

Yeah, I know, but James is sick, I figured I'd cover for him.

Too late. Jackson's already covering.

Dude, there's a life outside this place.

Now, me and some of the guys are going out.

Houlihan's is still open. Come with us.

I'm good, man. I'll see you tomorrow. Have fun.

I'll see you tomorrow.

I take it you've seen the paper this morning.

All four worked in Building 26. Danko's men.

These are revenge killings, and we both know it's Tracy Strauss.

I'm sure it won't be long before she makes her way up that list to me.

Or Nathan. Which is exactly why you're gonna stop dragging your feet

and pull the trigger on this operation.

It's been six weeks, Noah. I've given you time to put your personal life in order.

And Nathan says you're avoiding his phone calls.

By Nathan, you mean Sylar, right?

We've been over this, Noah. It's all working exactly as planned.

As planned? What plan?

We had no other choice. Matt Parkman had to turn Sylar into Nathan,

and as I recall, you were in on it.

I made an emotional decision because I didn't want to see you lose your son,

but it was wrong.

For 50 years, the Company avoided emotions, fol' good reason.

I can barely look him in the eye knowing who's under that skin.

Then don't. Just do your job

and get the Company up and running.

You're supposed to be the man with the plan, remember?

I'm not sure I'm that guy anymore.

Why is that? Because I've lost my family, Angela.

If you'll excuse me, today is Claire's first day of college,

and I'm already late, which doesn't help the situation.

Danko.

It appears Tracy Strauss has paid you a visit.

What I can't figure out is how she survived.

I put a bullet in her myself. She shattered into a thousand pieces of ice.

Ice melts.

I'm gonna take a wild guess

that your being here isn't a coincidence.

I'm here to offer a solution to our mutual problem.

You and I kill Tracy Strauss before she kills us.

Last time I made a deal with you,

you tried to stab me with a syringe.

Fair enough.

I'm thinking you're next on her list.

That makes us both wanted men.

So what are you doing here?

You ought to be hiding under a rock somewhere.

Just because the government's stopped hunting these people doesn't mean I have.

I hear you and the Petrellis are going back into business to do just that.

You heard wrong.

I'm not in that business anymore. I'm changing careers.

What'd you do, grow a conscience?

Time to cash out, start over.

Guys like us, we don't start over.

I'm not like you.

She's coming back for you. You know that, right?

Then I guess you're on your own.

I guess I am.

No, thank you.

You made the right call. Cheerleaders are a very subversive group.

You don't want to mix with that crowd.

No, thanks. I used to be one of them.

Oh. So you know.

I do.

Were you? You weren't a cheerleader, were you?

Uh... No.

I tried out, but I didn't make the team.

They said that my cheers sounded more like taunts.