Niki Sanders

Template:Heroes character box Niki Sanders is a fictional character portrayed by Ali Larter in the television series Heroes.

Character history

Template:Spoiler The character of Niki Sanders is introduced in the pilot episode of Heroes and has been a main character of the series to date. In the pilot, her story opens in her home in Las Vegas, Nevada. After performing in a paid adult-oriented webcam, Niki prepares for the day with her young son Micah. She visits her son's private school and is given bad news about Micah’s late tuition. As she leaves, she sees her reflection moving differently than she is, the first sign that Niki may have unusual abilities.

Haunted by what she sees, she yells at the image to leave her alone, much to the confusion of her son. She then takes her son to a friend's house and talks with the woman about her situation. She explains that Mr. Linderman, who appears to be a loan shark with mafia connections, has sent thugs to her house to collect on a loan she had taken. Niki had borrowed tens of thousands of dollars for Micah’s tuition and is now struggling to get by. Niki also tries to tell her friend about this strange "other" she hears and sees, but her friend fails to understand. Frustrated, Niki simply leaves. Arriving home, Niki finds a pinhole camera Micah made for watching the upcoming solar eclipse. While looking through the camera she realizes the thugs are still in her house, and she unsuccessfully attempts to leave. The thugs suggest that she perform for them on camera, but when she objects an altercation apparently ensues although the details are unclear. Some time later Niki awakens to find the dead, bloody bodies of the thugs but has no recollection of what happened. Niki looks into the mirror to see her reflection covered in blood although she is not. Her reflection gestures for her to keep quiet.

In the second episode, someone or something arranges for Niki to begin burying the bodies in an unnamed desert in Nevada. To her horror, she discovers the skeletal remains of a man wearing a skull ring, alike to the ones worn by the crew of D.L. Hawkins, Niki's estranged husband and Micah's father.

During episode three Niki takes Micah to visit D.L.'s mother, where we learn that he is wanted by the police, still loves Niki and possibly has been in contact with Micah without her knowledge. Her part in the episode ends when a police officer stops her on a highway to deliver the message "Mister Linderman wants to see you."

In the fourth episode, Niki is taken by the corrupt cop to see an associate of Linderman. The associate offers Niki a deal to pay off her debt involving seducing a politician Linderman is preparing to support as an "insurance policy". After meeting and flirting with congressman Nathan Petrelli, who is oblivious to Linderman's scheme, Niki tries to back out. However when another of Linderman's employee's threatens her and her son for not complying, Niki's alternate personality takes control of her body. After beating the man up in an elevator, the other Niki promises to kill him if he ever threatens Micah again. She then returns to Nathan's room and sleeps with him.

The next day in Hiros, Niki has no memory of her alternate's actions. Linderman's associate is happy to tell her that sleeping with Nathan erased her debt, showing her a tape of it as proof. Niki is shocked and sees Nathan on her way out. She tells him the truth, though she says her feelings were real. Back at her house, police question her about D.L. and tell her he may heading her way. Fearing for herself and her son, Niki recommends the house be put under heavy guard. Not soon after that, someone arrives at the door. Luckily, it's only Ando Masahashi, one of her online customers. Niki convinces the police not to arrest the poor man and tells him the difference between on- and offline behavior. He leaves willingly.

Powers and abilities

Niki Sanders has a split personality-type power which activates during times of great stress or anything life threatening. Her transformation is instantaneous and almost unnoticeable. She undergoes the drastic personality change in the blink of an eye, and gains a peculiar tattoo resembling an RNA helix, a symbol which has appeared often throughout the Heroes series. She also seems to gain increased strength, or at least an adrenaline-rush. For example, she apparently killed two thugs sent to her home by Mister Linderman in Genesis (one of which was ripped in half) and easily beat up a much larger man in Collision. This other personality seems well aware that she is sharing Niki's body, telling the thug not to "threaten our son". When Niki comes back to her senses, she cannot remember anything that has happened, as if she has blacked out. Thus, she is not completely aware of this other personality. Niki can see her alternate personality with the aid of a reflective surface, as her reflection rarely matches her position.