Niki Sanders

Niki Sanders
Portrayed by	Ali Larter
First appearance	Genesis
In-story stats
Known ability	Super strength
Formal name	Nicole Sanders
Aliases	Jessica, Gina
Nicknames	Nik, Sugar
Gender
Age	33
Home	Las Vegas, NV
Residence	Niki Sanders's home
Occupation	Former casino worker and online webcam operator; currently an agent of the Company
Significant other	D.L. Hawkins (deceased)
Parent	Hal Sanders
Child	Micah Sanders (son)
Sibling	Jessica Sanders (deceased)
Other relatives	Monica Dawson (niece), Damon Dawson (nephew)

Nicole "Niki" Sanders is a former casino worker in Las Vegas. She was raising her son, Micah, alone because her husband D.L. is a fugitive. In the absence of D.L. and his regular paycheck from construction work, she earned extra money as a webcam stripper running lasvegasniki.com. She has an aggressive alter-ego named Jessica, under whose identity violent acts and murders are committed.

Character History

Season One

For an episode-by-episode summary, see Niki Sanders: Season One History.

After finishing some work, Niki gets Micah ready for school. When thugs break in, she rushes out with Micah. She speaks with Micah's principal about his enrollment. When she leaves, she sees her reflection moving differently than she is. Niki takes Micah to Tina's house and returns home. She is confronted by the thugs from earlier, who knock her out. When she awakes, they have been killed. On her way to go get Micah, she blacks out again for several hours. When she returns home she finds a Cadillac with the men's bodies in them. She leaves with Micah to the desert to bury the thugs. After finishing the two go to Micah's grandmother's house. After they leave, Niki is stopped by more of Linderman's men.

Niki then meets with Miss Sakamoto. The two discuss that Linderman will forget her debt if she seduces a certain politician. She drops Micah off and returns to the casino running into the man she is to seduce. She does not go through with the deal, but when she is assaulted by one of Linderman's lackeys she reverts to her alter ego, threatens the man and sleeps with Nathan. The morning after, Miss Sakamoto tells Niki she is now debt free. When she returns home, she finds the police looking for her husband. When they leave, he arrives and the two argue. When Niki switches back to Jessica, she reveals that is was she that stole Linderman's money. D.L. catches up to her, and the two fight until D.L. knocks her out by phasing into her abdomen. When she awakens D.L. and Micah are gone, and Tina comes to let her know what has happened. Angered, Jessica takes over again, determined to find D.L. She finds them at a cabin in Utah. When she struggles with D.L., she forcefully pushes Micah aside, allowing Niki to regain control. She decides to turn herself in for murder.

Two weeks later, she is in jail waiting for her trial. Because of Jessica's aggression, Niki is thrown into a padded cell. A psychiatrist arrives wanting to see Niki. During the conversation Niki looses control, and when she awakens, Dr. Witherson is unconscious. Aron Malsky arrives to let Niki know she has been released and when she arrives home, Jessica regains control. Niki is helpless when she learns Jessica has become an assassin for Linderman. When she regains slight control, she approaches Nathan, tells him about Linderman's plans and then asks him to knock her out. He happily obliges. Niki convinces Jessica that she needs to save Micah with D.L.'s help. When the two find Linderman, he offers Jessica millions of dollars if she kills D.L. Not having any of this, Niki regains control and embraces D.L. When Linderman shoots at Niki, D.L. takes the bullet, and then kills Linderman.

Niki supports a weakened D.L. When a loud bang is heard, the two phase through a wall. D.L. tells her that she needs to go on her own if she is to rescue Micah. She leaves him and finds Jessica and a dead Micah in a room. The two fight, and when she looks in a reflection, Jessica tells her that the Jessica she is fighting isn't actually her. Niki punches the impostor across the room. Niki rescues Micah and when she looks into a mirror sees only her own reflection. When they go back to D.L., they find Mohinder and Molly. The group goes down to Kirby Plaza thanks to Micah. Outside, Peter and Sylar are fighting. Niki grabs Sylar's parking meter and beats him with it. She then returns to her family to watch the explosion.

Kindred

Niki and Micah are discussing leaving Las Vegas. Micah doesn't want to leave, but Niki tells him they need to start over. They both visit D.L.'s grave before leaving.

Later, Niki and Micah leave a cab, and they talk about their future. Niki tells Micah he'll be fine with "normal" people, and that he shouldn't use his abilities. Niki knocks on a door, and Nana welcomes them to New Orleans.

Niki calls Bob and tells him that she's waiting for him. She asks if he is sure he can cure her, and Bob assures her that Niki can be cured, so long as she repays the favor.

Fight or Flight

As Mohinder and Bob discuss over Molly Walker in a Company facility, Niki escapes from her confinements, making her way past guards and wreaking havoc. She happens upon Mohinder and Bob, with Mohinder immediately recognizing her. However, Niki does not return the favor, and knocks him into a door. She then moves onto Bob and grabs him by the neck in an attempt to strangle him. Before she can succeed, Mohinder tazers her, rendering her unconscious.

Later, Niki returns to her old self, and is confined to her bed. Bob and Mohinder give her company, with Bob assuring her that Niki will be helped with her Multiple Personality Disorder. As Bob leaves, Mohinder attempts to free her, but Niki tells him to stop, explaining that she came of her own free will, even leaving her son behind, so that she can seek aid from the Company.

The Line

At the Company hospital, Niki greets Mohinder. She tells him that she feels much better, and that she is Mohinder's new partner. She explains that Bob had told her of Mohinder's trust issues, and she is there to ensure that there aren't any problems.

Out of Time

Niki, Bob and Mohinder discuss giving Maury the virus. Mohinder objects but Niki insists that no one will die and that the Company is good. Niki is plagued by visions of D.L., caused by Maury who is manipulating her mind with his telepathic powers. Niki sees another vision of D.L., who convinces her to kill Bob. Niki then proceeds to punch Mohinder when he tries to help. Later, Niki punches through a door and then because she can't fight off Maury's mind control, injects herself with the virus. Later on Mohinder tries to give Niki an infusion of his blood to get rid of the virus, but it doesn't work.

Four Months Ago...

Niki meets Bob and is given pills to prevent herself from becoming Jessica again. However, frustrated at the pills' side effect of depression, Niki pours her pills down the drain and becomes another alter-ego, Gina.

Gina travels to Los Angeles and begins to do drugs and dance with another man. D.L. catches up with her after finding writing on the mirror and assumes she is Jessica. When he confronts her, she responds "Guess again". He shows her the picture of their family and Niki returns. The man she was with attempts to punch D.L. only to phase through his head. After a few moments, the man shoots D.L. in the chest and he dies. Niki attends his funeral a week later.

In the present, Niki leaves the Company's hospital.

Truth & Consequences

Niki goes to the Dawsons' home to visit Micah. Niki and Micah talk, and Niki explains the she went to a place that helps people who are sick. She tells Micah she has a virus, but she can't spread it, and that Dr. Suresh is looking for a cure. Micah asks what would happen if Dr. Suresh can't find a cure, but Niki insists that he will. Micah tells her he has something that will make her stronger in his backpack, D.L.'s medal, but he discovers that his backpack is missing.

After Micah tackles and punches Damon for losing his backpack to a gang, Niki pulls him off. When Micah insists that they need to get it themselves, Niki tells him that they shouldn't because that is the reason D.L. is dead.

Niki receives a call from Mohinder that he found a cure for the virus. When Niki goes to Micah's bedroom to tell Micah of the good news, she discovers that he is gone.

Powerless

Micah returns to the Dawsons' home where Niki has been waiting worriedly. He tells her that Monica is in danger and they need to go rescue her. Niki tells him she can't because the Shanti virus has suppressed her powers, but Micah convinces her that they can still succeed. Micah tells his cell phone to track the GPS signal in Monica's cell phone so they can locate her. When they find the burning building in which Monica is being held, Niki races in to help her. Monica escapes without Niki before the building explodes.

Evolved Human Abilities

Niki possesses enhanced strength. She is strong enough to break restraints that could hold down an African elephant, knock down doors and other obstacles with a single hit and literally rip people in half. For months, she could only utilize her power through her alternate personality, Jessica, who is much more violent than her normal self. Jessica used the ability in a variety of crimes ranging from robberies to brutal murders.

In How to Stop an Exploding Man, Niki finally learns how to use her enhanced strength at will.

Equipment

• Cadillac--a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado convertible, taken from D.L.'s crew by Jessica and registered in Niki's name
• Digital video camera--used to broadcast video chats for lasvegasniki.com; used by Linderman's thugs to record Niki
• Jessica's map--a map left for Niki by Jessica indicating where to bury the bodies of Linderman's thugs
• Laptop computer--used to run and maintain lasvegasniki.com
• Niki's tape--a videocassette of Niki made by Linderman's thugs; it turns to static as Jessica takes control and murders them

Notes

• While Jessica has a tattoo of The Symbol on her upper right back, Niki does not.
• Niki and Hal use more formal names for each other: Niki calls her father "Hal", and Hal calls his daughter "Nicole".
• Niki is on the list.
• Niki can communicate with her alternate personalities through reflective surfaces: whichever personality is dominant sees the alternate in the reflection. However, Matt Parkman heard thoughts of both personalities via his telepathy during one of their conversations (Run!). Niki and Jessica also communicated in jail sans reflective surface (Godsend). The significance of these unusual occurrences is unknown.
• According to the cast commentary for Godsend, the cast members themselves believed that it was Niki -- not Jessica -- who broke the guard's baton. However, during the Wizard World Los Angeles panel, the writers entertained the possibility that Niki might "eventually" be able to access Jessica's power, indicating they believed she hadn't done so yet. Her use of enhanced strength in How to Stop an Exploding Man at Jessica's urging made reasonably clear that she had not knowingly accessed her power prior to her fight with Candice Willmer.
• While a great deal of confusion about Niki and Jessica's relationship persists, Jeph Loeb stated in an interview that the crew "thought this was very clear on the air. Niki's power is the same as her alternate personality Jessica's: unbelievable strength. They're the same person. Niki discovered her special ability through her split personality, but it was always her ability."

Trivia

• The laptop Niki uses for lasvegasniki.com runs Debian Linux and uses Gaim for instant messaging.
• Niki never keeps peanut butter in the refrigerator. (Godsend)
• The ABC Soap Opera One Life to Live is famous for being one of the first serialized dramas to tackle the topic of dissociative identity disorder (DID) in a real and serious way with a beloved lead character. That character was Victoria Lord (Viki), whose most active and dominate alter ego was named Niki. She also had a daughter who, through Niki's carelessness, was traumatized as a child and likewise developed DID. Her name was Jessica, and her main alter ego was named Tess.
• According to a form found in Linderman's archives, Niki was born in a city that ends with "eles", probably Los Angeles. Her social security number is 2574-87-5698. (The Hard Part)
• A 2001 medical form for Niki has an address listed at the top: 348 South 4th Street, Portland, Oregon, 97209. It is unclear whether this was once Niki's address or whether this is the address of the form's originator. The medical form also lists Niki's age as 33. According to NBC's press packet, Niki would have been 28 in 2001.
• In New Orleans, Niki drives a Chevrolet with Louisiana license plates KMB801T.

See Also

• For other uses of Niki, see Niki (disambig).
• For Niki as she appeared in the dark future, see Niki Sanders (future)
• For articles related to Niki, see Related Articles:Niki.
• For images of Niki, see Images of Niki/Jessica Sanders.
• For other members of the Hawkins family, see Hawkins (disambig).
• For other members of the Sanders family, see Sanders (disambig).

Fan Theories

Please refer to Theory:Niki Sanders for fan-created theories and other speculation. Template:Linderman Template:HRG