Niki Sanders
 Niki Sanders As of October 2006, Niki was living in Las Vegas, Nevada and struggling to raise her ten-year-old son, Micah. She had been working as an internet stripper to pay the bills. Her husband, small-time criminal D.L. Hawkins, was in jail, accused of stealing two million dollars from a sports booker and murdering his own gang. To help pay Micah's tuition at a very expensive school that Niki believed would encourage his gifts, Niki borrowed money from a Mr. Linderman, a reputed mobster who used to employ her husband. Not having enough money to continue paying tuition or repay the loan, she withdrew Micah from the school.[4] The two went on the run, as they attempted to elude thugs and police that Linderman sent after her. As Niki attempted to deal with her predicament, she occasionally left Micah with her friend Tina. Niki ran an online porn site to pay off the debt, but eventually finished the payments to Linderman after she seduced and slept with congressional candidate Nathan Petrelli, producing blackmail material Linderman could use against Petrelli later.
During times of stress, Niki began seeing her reflection in mirrors and other reflective surfaces moving differently than herself, leading her to be concerned about her sanity. After Linderman sent two thugs to her house to collect the money she owed him, an altercation occurred, with Niki apparently blacking out after being hit by one of the thugs. When Niki recovered consciousness some time later, she was shocked to find the dead, mutilated bodies of the two thugs. Niki would have other blackout spells over the following days, one time losing four hours, always with no recollection of what has transpired. Niki eventually realized that she possessed a split personality, the other being far more sinister and amoral than her usual self, and which had superhuman strength.
Powers
Niki Sanders has a split personality in the form of an alter-ego who surfaces during times of great stress. The alter-ego goes by the name of Jessica, Niki's late sister. When Jessica surfaces, the transformation is instantaneous and almost unnoticeable; Niki becomes violent and strong-willed with seemingly no warning. When she undergoes the drastic personality change, she demonstrates superhuman strength. Her strength has allowed her to pull out the door of a safe box with her own hands,[11] throw her husband several feet across a small area with a single hit, and tear men apart with her bare hands. She also gains a peculiar tattoo resembling an RNA helix on her right shoulder, a symbol which has appeared often throughout the Heroes series.
Jessica seems to have been aware that she is sharing Niki's body for longer than Niki, leaving notes, gifts, and instructions for Niki, and telling a thug not to "threaten our son". Jessica has at least been a part of Niki since the actual Jessica's death, since she remembers the event while Niki herself does not. She was also the dominant personality during the various beatings Niki's father gave her while drunk. When Niki reasserts control of her body, she can't remember anything that has happened while Jessica was dominant, feeling as if she had blacked out. Eventually, Niki became aware of Jessica with the aid of reflective surfaces such as mirrors and has begun communicating with her. Jessica's ability to surface seems to have increased over time, as Jessica is able to actively surface much easier than she did when the show began.
Character details
Played by: Ali Larter
First seen: Genesis
Source: Wikipedia |
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