Ahh dreams. They can inspire and confuse in one swoop. Recently I had a dream and it certainly was inspiring.

It was an episode of Heroes. Yes I know, I am that much of a loser, I dream about TV shows. Most dream about sex, I dream about TV. It isn’t the first time. Which reminds me, minor end-of-volume-three spoilers.

Anyway, the heroes were fugitives, as foreshadowed in volume four’s opening scene. This is during volume four. Me and a still-depowered Hiro Nakamura were hiding out on top of a decrepit old building and out of nowhere we met two girls. Don’t know why they were there, but dreams are crazy like that. They didn’t look homeless or anything. Maybe they thought it was cool and haunted or whatever. Anyway I started making out with one of them when I suddenly told Hiro we need to move. Then I woke up.

So this gave me an idea for a Heroes character, we’ll call him…Elix. He’s a ladies man who has an odd ability: he can identify superhumans. Some use the term evolved human but I like superhuman because it’s more succinct. So he’s kind of like a walking hero-dar. He can also identify what he calls “potentials.” Those superhumans who have no abilities yet, but will develop them, like Daphne before the fateful Eclipse she talked about.

The range and refinement of this ability, ie. whether he can track individual heroes or abilities and whether it works across the city or across the planet, I’m still not sure about. I guess it depends on how much power he should have. I’m thinking he can only detect if they are superhumans and whether or not they have abilities within a very short range, like within one block or something. But if he meditates deeply enough, which he does do, he can track a specific ability across…maybe a continent. But only the ability, he can track fliers but he would not be able to tell the difference between Nathan Petrelli and West Rosen. To him they are interchangeable.

But there is another aspect to his ability. He can “awaken” “potentials.” “Awaken” means give them abilities. Now this won’t on any human. It was revealed in volume three, episode five, “Angels and Monsters,” Arthur and Angela both knew Nathan did not have an ability when he was born. They used the formula to give him an ability. So it is determined from birth, whether you have or will have abilities. If Nathan was never given the formula, Elix would not be able to give him an ability, he also cannot give Noah an ability, or for that matter, any other human who does not or will never have an ability naturally. He is not the formula. He works kind of like the Eclipse, in that after it’s over, more people gain abilities. But no one can gain abilities if they don’t have the genes for it, that is unless they modify their DNA.

So how does he “awaken” “potentials?” By having sex with them. I told you he was a ladies man, and yes he is very straight, so by the time the story gets to him he has only “awakened” females of the species. But later on his abilities develop and it is discovered he simply needs a strong emotional and physical connection. A kiss works well.

His history is kind of interesting, in the past he would go to bars and pick up woman who were “potentials” and have sex with them, awakening their ability. He would then tell them it’s nothing to be afraid of and it is a gift.

I like the idea. An interesting character with an interesting ability. He and his ability can evolve as the story goes on.

I want to know your comments. Can I make this character more interesting? Do you think he’s not even worth bothering with? Send me your thoughts.