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brighteyedjillTitle: In the Forests of the Night – Chapter Ten (of Ten)
Author name:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
brighteyed_jill
Characters: Ensemble, Peter/Nathan. Other slashiness if you squint.
Rating: R (for violence, adult themes, and angst)
Word Count: 14,000 (No, seriously. I’m not kidding.)
Warnings: Violence, angst, adult situations, minor character death.
Spoilers: Through the end of Season 1. Some Season 2 spoilers for character abilities only.
Summary: It all comes down to tonight.
Author’s note: All hailredandglenda for her indispensable help on this entire project. Bonus points also go to jaune_chat this week, because she painted the word picture of Isaac’s painting.
D.L. was amazed at how the Homeland Security soldiers fell in line for the Haitian. They’d followed him without question, creeping along the east edge of the building, and now they were all waiting for his signal to charge around the corner and turn the tide of the battle.
“We have a weapon that will temporarily disable their abilities,” the Haitian was saying. “When they realize this, they will run. You must take them before they know what’s happening.”
“You’re just going to kill them all?” D.L. asked.
The Haitian glared at him. “That’s what war is,” he said tightly.
“But—,” he began.
The Haitian cut him off. “Go,” he said to the soldiers. They sprang out onto the lawn, but the Haitian grabbed D.L. by the arm before he could join them.
“Here,” he pressed a gun into D.L.’s hand. “Just in case.”
“Should you really be giving me this?” D.L. asked.
“You are on the right side, I know it,” the Haitian said. “Go.”
********
Claire followed the sound of voices. She had no idea who had cut the power and killed everyone in the West Wing, but she was starting to get irritated. Peter had shown up and then just disappeared. Here she was trying to help, and she didn’t even know who the bad guys were. She heard footsteps approaching, loud in the quiet halls.
“Hello?” Claire dashed around the corner, but stumbled back a step as she felt the blunt, icy-cold pain of a bullet impact her chest. The shock of the pain carried her to the floor.
“Oh shit,” someone said from nearby. “She’s got a staff badge.” The flushed face of a uniformed young man appeared above her. “Oh shit.”
“Who’s in charge here?” A familiar voice pulled at her consciousness from a great distance.
“Shit man, do something!” Another uniformed man appeared beside the first, pressing his hand against Claire’s wound.
“Get off,” Claire muttered, pushing the man away. She felt the bullet working itself out of her, and began to worry. They couldn’t see her regenerate—that would ruin everything.
“Claire?” The familiar voice came again. “Get away from her!” The two uniformed men disappeared, replaced by her father, his face lined with anger. “I’ll take care of this. You two, go find some real bad guys to shoot. Go!”
“Dad,” Claire said happily.
“You okay, Claire Bear?”
She coughed violently for a moment, and heard the bullet plink to the floor. “I’m good.” She sat up, wiping her bloody hands on her sweater. “Were those Homeland Security troops?”
Bennet nodded grimly. “The place is crawling with them. Alicia Madden gave them shoot to kill orders on any evolved human.”
“Dad, what is going on?”
“There’s some sort of attack outside.” Bennet looked down the hall after the soldiers. “But if Alicia’s people are in here, too—.”
“I’m telling you, they’re trying to get rid of the President.” Claire scrambled to her feet. “I saw Peter, and he—.”
“Peter Petrelli?”
“Yes, Peter,” Claire said. As if she would mean anyone else. “He said they were taking Nathan away, and he went after them.”
“Peter Petrelli?” Bennet repeated incredulously.
“Yeah.”
“Alicia must have planned all this. If she’s getting rid of Nathan…”
Claire watched as understanding lit up her father’s face. “What?”
“Candice. She’s going to replace him.” Bennet grabbed her by the hand and led her back down the hall the way he’d come. Two Homeland Security soldiers greeted him at the entrance to the Blue Room. “Where’s the President?” he asked without preamble.
“Safe in the Residence,” said the first soldier. “Upstairs. We sent a detachment of Secret Service agents to guard him.”
“Is… Is she okay?” asked the second soldier, staring uneasily at Claire’s blood-soaked sweater.
Bennet ignored him. “When did you send the detachment?”
“About three minutes ago.”
Bennet looked questioningly at Claire, and she shook her head. The real Nathan was long gone; he couldn’t possibly be the one they were guarding upstairs.
“I’m going up to the Residence,” Bennet announced. “Radio ahead and tell your people not to shoot us.”
“Uh… of course,” said the second soldier, wilting a little under Bennet’s glare. Claire gave him a sympathetic smile before following her father upstairs.
*********
Nathan stared out the tiny window of the helicopter, trying to figure out where they were heading. He studiously ignored the two impassive Secret Service agents sitting across from him, the blonde girl, Elle, on the seat beside him, and the various aches all over his body from his earlier struggles. He was waiting for his next opportunity to run.
Elle pressed against him and ran a soft hand down his cheek, already purpling from the earlier hit. “They bruised you,” she said. It was almost a pout.
Nathan was tempted to ignore her, but she was the one he needed to distract in order to have any chance of escape. Nathan turned to look at her. Her girlish smile set his teeth on edge. “Look on the bright side—at least we’re keeping you alive,” she said.
“That’s nice.” He’d have another chance to escape, then. They weren’t taking him somewhere just to kill him.
“So you and I will get to spend a lot of time together.” She swung a leg over his lap, neatly straddling him.
He barely stopped himself from pushing her off.
“Don’t tell the suits,” she whispered. “But when we land I get to kill them and take you with me back to Hartsdale. Cool, huh?”
“I’m married,” Nathan said, loud enough for the agents to hear.
Elle shrugged and ran a finger down his nose. A blue light flickered, shocking him, and he jerked in his seat. Elle laughed delightedly, like a little girl, and wrapped her arms around Nathan. “We’re going to have a great time together.”
Outside there was a sudden flash of bright white light. The helicopter jolted, emitting an anguished mechanical squeal. Elle tumbled off Nathan’s lap, smacking into the floor with a painful thud, and the compartment was plunged into darkness.
“Ow. That was unnecessary,” Elle complained.
“The goddamn power blew,” the pilot shouted. “Back-up’s out, too.” Above them, the rotors were slowing. “Get your parachutes on.”
“Parachutes?” Elle squeaked.
Discussion was cut off by another violent shriek of metal on metal as the chopper door was pulled off. Elle charged her hands with electricity, and in that faint light Nathan could see both the Secret Service agents pointing their guns out into the darkness.
Peter appeared—just appeared out of nowhere—hovering out in the air like an avenging angel. Bullets flew first, and Peter halted them effortlessly, holding up a hand that stopped them in the air. “Look out for the girl!” Nathan barely had time to yell a warning before Elle threw a ball of electricity at Peter. Nathan watched in horror as Peter, dazed, started to fall out of the sky.
“No!” Nathan shouted. Before he could think, he was out of the helicopter, speeding after Peter. Elle’s blast caught him in the back, sending him spinning, falling.
Strong arms caught him, pulling him out of his tailspin. “That wasn’t quite what I was expecting,” Peter chuckled into his ear. “But it worked.”
********
Matt thought he might never be able to relax again after all of this. So far he’d managed to keep himself, Micah, and Molly out of sight of the roaming Homeland Security soldiers by overhearing their thoughts. Now if only Alicia Madden would stop moving so Molly could pinpoint her location, they might actually have a chance of accomplishing their mission.
Matt froze as he overheard another thought. So much for that. Now we just have to finish off the ones on the lawn. That voice was definitely female. Matt raised a questioning eyebrow, and Molly pointed urgently around the corner.
“Freeze!” Matt shouted, jumping out with his gun drawn. Micah and Molly stood to either side of him, holding their tazer guns threateningly.
What the hell is this? “You people are starting to damage my calm,” said Alicia. She was shorter than Matt had expected, a dark-haired woman whose sharp face reminded him of Officer Hanson’s long-ago comment that law enforcement tended to attract a certain kind of women: bitches.
“Where’s the list?” Matt demanded.
How does everyone know about this all of a sudden? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” This place is crawling with Homeland Security agents. No one is getting to that vault.
“What vault?” Matt asked, and was satisfied to see a flash of concern in Alicia’s eyes before she masked it.
No one’s supposed to know about that. That’s why the building plans don’t show the subbasement. “Are you supposed to be part of Jessica Sander’s little group?”
“Jessica?” Micah asked. Molly shushed him, and they both resumed brandishing their tazers.
“Just put down the gun,” Matt said. “I don’t want to have to hurt you.”
“Not a chance,” said Alicia. Just keep him talking, backup’s bound to come eventually.
“The subbasement. How do you get there?”
He knows too much. There’s no time. “I’ll show you,” she said. She took a slow step toward them, but Matt saw the reflection of silver in the window behind her as she drew her gun.
Before Matt could react, she’d grabbed Molly, effortlessly slapping the tazer out of her hand and wrapping an arm around her throat. “I’m surrounded by amateurs,” Alicia muttered, and pressed her gun against Molly’s temple. Matt and Micah both held very still, and Matt felt his own panicked thoughts being pressed by Micah’s near-hysteria.
“Let’s just stay calm,” Alicia said, addressing Matt. “There are soldiers all over the building. You’re trapped. Just come quietly, and we’ll let the kids live, okay?” Lower that gun so I can blow your brains out.
“Molly!”
Mohinder and Gabriel appeared at the end of the hallway, and it was Mohinder who had shouted.
“Oh for God’s sake.” Alicia fired down the hallway. Gabriel held up his hand, bringing the bullets to a harmless stop and letting them drop to the floor.
“Interesting,” said Alicia. Things are getting too crowded. In one quick move, she pushed Molly hard to the side, sending her crashing through the window, and took off up the stairs.
“No!” Matt, Mohinder, and Micah screamed in unison. Gabriel flung out a hand. They all crowded over to the window to find Molly hovering in midair.
“Telekinesis wasn’t meant for flying,” Gabriel said through gritted teeth. Matt, Mohinder, and Micah stepped away from the window so Gabriel could float Molly back inside. As soon as she was on the ground, Micah pounced: fussing over her, wiping blood off the little cut on her cheek, asking if she was okay.
“Fine,” she said ruefully. “But I’m really starting to hate that woman.” She turned to Gabriel. “And thanks,” she said. “Really.”
“We should go after her,” said Gabriel, starting for the stairs. “She’s probably calling more guards.”
“What about the list?” Micah asked.
“What list?” Mohinder turned to Matt.
“Your list,” Matt explained. “Apparently there’s a master copy, and we can destroy it.”
“Really destroy it? So they wouldn’t be able to find more evolved humans?” Mohinder asked excitedly.
“Exactly.”
“How? When?” Mohinder asked, grabbed Matt’s arm.
“She just gave up the location,” Matt said. “A secret subbasement.”
Gabriel stepped back over to them. “What about Alicia?” he asked.
“She’s still in the building,” Molly said. “Third floor, heading east.”
Mohinder looked quickly between Molly, Matt, and Gabriel, and his thoughts were too jumbled for Matt to decipher. Finally he said, “Gabriel and I will go after her. You three can destroy the list?”
“If you don’t mind, Doctor Suresh,” Matt said.
“You have my full permission.”
***********
Both of them flying together was a new experience. Nathan was sure he couldn’t have found his way in the dark, but Peter kept a tight grip on his hand. Somehow he steered them around trees with no problem, guiding them over the woods until the sound of rotor blades died behind them. Only then did Peter slow down, pulling Nathan with him into a clearing. Nathan didn’t have as much grace in his landing, and he managed to pull them both down into the snow. He jumped up immediately, cursing as he brushed snow off his bare chest.
“You’re freezing,” Peter said. He pulled off his long wool coat and wrapped it around Nathan’s shoulders.
“Where the hell are we, anyway?” asked Nathan.
“Somewhere in Maryland. What’s happening? Who were those people? What did they want with you?”
Nathan shook his head. “Alicia Madden, the Secretary of Homeland Security, made some sort of deal with some evolved humans, like that girl with the electricity thing. I don’t know what she’s planning. She needed me out of the way, though.”
“Well, she didn’t get you.” Peter started dragging pieces of wood to the center of the clearing, and Nathan watched him for a moment, puzzled.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to build us a fire. If we’re going to wait here for a while, we might as well be warm.”
“Peter, we’re not done yet. There’s something else. Something worse. Saving me doesn’t save the world.”
“I’ve done my part. I got you, and I’m keeping you out of harm’s way.” Peter touched his hand to the center of the pile of wood, and flames leapt up.
“That’s it? Peter, I’m just a small part of this. Alicia has some master plan.”
“What plan?”
“I don’t know, Peter. This isn’t an action movie. The villain didn’t outline her whole plot before she sent me off to be killed.”
Peter shrugged and pulled another log up to the fire to sit on. “Whatever it is, Hiro will take care of it.”
“Hiro?” Nathan sounded skeptical. “Come on. The man means well, but he’s not you.” Peter said nothing. “Listen… Monty’s been having these dreams, and sometimes they come true. I know this sounds crazy, but I think it might be some sort of ability. He saw—.”
“I know.”
“Excuse me?”
“The other night, I saw Monty’s dream.”
Nathan sat down on the log next to Peter. “You saw it?”
“Yeah. Kind of like mind reading,” Peter explained quickly. “Or maybe I absorbed his power. It doesn’t matter how. I saw it.”
“Then you know there’s something else we have to do. He said he saw people getting hurt. He saw a bad future, and—.”
“You die, Nathan.” Peter couldn’t look at his brother when he said it. “In the dream, you get shot and you die.”
“Oh.”
Peter couldn’t read Nathan’s expression; it was one he hadn’t seen on his brother before. “So we’re staying right here,” Peter said firmly. “Nobody’s shooting you on my watch.”
Nathan stared into the fire for a moment. Then he asked, “You saw this dream?”
“Yeah.”
“But there is more to it, isn’t there?” Nathan scooted closer to Peter. “There are worse things than a dead President.”
Peter refused to think of the worse things. Nathan’s death was bad enough. He hated that Monty had had to see so many more terrible things. “You’re safe,” he said at last.
“That’s not good enough,” said Nathan. “If there’s something else happening, we need to stop it. Come on.” He stood up. “Are we flying or what?”
“We’re staying right here,” Peter said stubbornly. “Even if we did go back, I have no idea what’s supposed to happen.”
“Think!” Nathan admonished him. “What else was in the dream?”
“I don’t know!” Peter pounded his fist on the ground in frustration, and suddenly images from Monty’s dream rushed up to envelop him.
He was standing in line with Mom and Simon. He held tight to Mom’s hand as they got closer to the chain link fence where the guards were pulling people out of line. Just ahead of them, the line passed very close to the woods. Mom leaned down and whispered something to Simon. When the line moved next, Mom let go of his hand, shoving him gently after his brother. They both took off running into the trees.
Simon kept hold of his hand, pulling him through bushes and over rocks. A whistle sounded behind them, and they tried to run faster. He stumbled and fell, and Simon dragged him behind a tree. They both sat there panting as sounds of shouting and dogs barking echoed through the forest. Simon looked down at his wrist, scratching at the tattoo there until a whistle shrilled nearby. Simon poked his head out from behind the tree and quickly pulled it back. “They’re too close,” Simon whispered. I’m going to jump out and distract them, and you run as fast as you can.”
“I don’t want to go by myself,” he whispered.
“Run and don’t look back,” Simon told him. “Go.”
He did as his brother said and ran until his chest hurt. He didn’t look back until he heard his brother scream. Then, without slowing, he snuck a glance behind him. His foot encountered air instead of dirt, and he tumbled head over heels, sliding down the muddy side of a pit to land on something soft and bumpy. He opened his eyes reluctantly. Body after body, stacks of them filling the pit, stared up at him with empty eyes, stark black tattoos standing out from pale, cold flesh. Monty screamed, scrambling backwards, but there was nowhere to go, no way out of the pit. A soldier appeared at the rim. “Help,” he screamed up to him, throwing up his arms. The man’s eyes flickered from his face to his wrist, and the soldier raised his gun.
“Peter.” Nathan was shaking him. “You with me? Peter?”
“Yeah.” Peter sat up. “Is it as simple as that?” he whispered.
“As simple as what?”
“There is something I can do,” Peter said. Even as he said it, he felt hope that this was the way to save the world.
Nathan didn’t bother to ask, just reached for his hand, and Peter took them away.
*********
“There’s one! Get him!”
Matt scrambled back around the corner as the Homeland Security soldier started to fire. “Are we close, at least?” he asked Micah as he shoved another clip into his gun.
Micah nodded. “The plans in the computer show air ducts and electrical conduits leading down here, so there’s got to be a secret room. I’m betting we’re in the right place. The vault should be just down this hallway.”
Matt gripped his gun determinedly. “Go on! I’ll hold them off!”
Micah pounded down the hallway, and Molly’s footfalls echoed beside his. He couldn’t help but think of all the times they’d run for their lives. If they could do really destroy the list, this could be the last time.
“Here,” Micah said, stopping in front of a nondescript metal door. “This is the room.” He touched the key panel, and the door clicked open.
The room was full of servers, all humming away industriously. Micah drifted toward the closest, a moth to flame, and leaned his palms against it.
“Well?” Molly asked, shifting nervously from foot to foot.
“I can see what we need. Give me a minute. I need to get it all. I don’t want to leave them any way to find us.”
********
“I can hear you,” Gabriel called. The floor was quiet except for three heartbeats: his, Mohinder’s and one that seemed entirely too calm for a woman running for her life.
“No one needs to get hurt here,” Mohinder shouted. “Just come out.”
Alicia made a run for it, darting across the hallway in front of them. Gabriel stopped her in her tracks. “I don’t want to kill you, but if you try anything, I will. With pleasure.” Gabriel regretted his intimidation tactic as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He tried to gauge Mohinder’s expression out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t want to give his friend any reason to doubt his state of mind. But he needn’t have worried. Mohinder held his gun in a white-knuckled grip, and seemed not even to have heard Gabriel.
“Threaten me all you want, Sylar,” Alicia said. “I’m not going to hear morally righteous talk from either of you—a serial killer and a traitor.” She turned her glare on Mohinder. “I’m especially disappointed in you, Doctor Suresh. All this time you knew Nathan Petrelli was an evolved human, and you let him run free, let him become President.”
“How did you know that?” Mohinder asked. Gabriel noticed that his hand was trembling.
“A nice man named Bob came to me with a business proposition. He helped me get rid of Petrelli, and all I had to do was dangle your list in front of him, doctor. That list has been so useful to us, I really can’t thank you enough.”
“You won’t be around to enjoy it much longer,” Mohinder said, and raised his gun.
“Whoa, easy,” said Gabriel softly. He turned his concentration to Mohinder, cautiously placing a hand on his back. Mohinder shrugged him off.
“This is mine,” Mohinder snapped. Gabriel slowly withdrew his hand, but he didn’t relax for a second. Mohinder had killed once tonight on his behalf, but that had been in the heat of battle. Killing an unarmed victim was different, Gabriel knew. He was determined that Mohinder not take any more scars on his soul.
“It doesn’t matter,” Alicia said. She still sounded perfectly calm. “Tomorrow everyone will see that evolved human terrorists attacked the White House. Maybe they killed the President and his family, maybe they just gave the President a new perspective. Either way, it’s going to be a brave new world. Nowhere to hide. Safe for normal people. I think that’s worth dying for.”
Gabriel held his breath until Mohinder lowered the gun.
“I knew you didn’t have it in you, doctor,” Alicia said. Taking advantage of Gabriel’s distraction, she whipped out her own gun, firing blindly down the hallway.
As if in slow motion, Gabriel saw Mohinder fall. “No!” He felt something snap inside him, and he was on Alicia before he realized he’d moved, clawing at her with bare hands and telekinesis, feasting on her screams. Blood, sweet and warm on his face, poured over him like baptismal waters, and he felt more than heard the gurgle in her throat as she gasped out her life. “Die,” he screamed at her, at staring, terror-filled eyes. “Die!”
Then there were arms around his chest, pulling him away. He clung to the body with single-minded ferocity, clawing at it. He had to destroy it, burn it to ashes, grind it to powder, end it.
“Gabriel, let go. Come back.”
Mohinder. It was Mohinder. He allowed himself to be dragged off of the corpse, out of the mess of blood. He met Mohinder’s worried eyes. “She shot you,” Gabriel said in confusion.
“Grazed.” Mohinder pointed to the bloody furrow in his side. “I’ll live. Are you back with me?”
“Yeah.” Gabriel scrubbed a dirty hand across his face, and it came back even bloodier. He ducked his head, suddenly ashamed to be seen. Mohinder unwound his scarf and wiped Gabriel’s face with it.
“It’s all right,” he said softly. “Let’s get out of here.”
*********
Matt, Micah, and Molly ran in to Hiro and Ando in the front foyer. “Where have you guys been?” Ando asked.
“Destroying the list,” Micah said excitedly.
“Huh?” asked Ando.
“Never mind,” Matt said quickly. “This place is crawling with Homeland Security guys. We need to get out of here.”
“I agree,” said Hiro. “Have you seen—.”
“We’re right here,” Mohinder interrupted, jogging up with Gabriel at his side.
“Alicia?” Molly asked.
“We took care of her,” said Mohinder bleakly.
“So is that it? Did we save the world?” Ando asked.
“Either way, we should get going,” Micah said. Then, under his breath. “Those servers are going to self-destruct.”
“You let him blow up the White House?” Hiro asked Matt incredulously.
“Just part of the basement,” Micah grumbled.
“This is what happens when you put a fourteen-year-old in charge of saving the world,” said Ando.
“Let’s get out of here.” Hiro grabbed Ando’s shoulder, and the rest crowded in around him. Hiro squeezed his eyes shut, and nothing happened. “Uh oh.”
“So… Are we leaving?” asked Micah.
“Damnit,” Matt said softly. “I can’t hear what you’re thinking.”
“The Haitian,” they all said together.
********
“He in there?” Bennet asked one of the Secret Service agents who stood in front of the door to Treaty Room.
“Yep. Safe and sound,” said the man.
“I’m here to give him an update,” said Bennet.
“Um, is she okay?” asked a second Secret Service agent, his eyes fixed on the large blood stain on Claire’s chest.
“It’s okay. I’m his personal secretary,” said Claire, deliberately misunderstanding. She held up her staff badge. “See?”
Gunshots and shouting rang out down the hall. The two Secret Service agents tensed, reaching for their firearms. Bennet, too, pulled his gun from its hip holster. “You go hold them off at the landing. I’ll stay with the President,” he said quickly.
They hesitated. “Sir, I’m not sure we should—,” one began, but Bennet cut him off.
“Do you want one of those evolved humans to set the President on fire from a distance, or create a nuclear explosion that takes out the whole floor, or suck all the oxygen out of this room while you’re standing here sniveling?” he asked. The men shook their heads. “Go on!” Bennet shouted, and they went.
Claire gave an impressed “hm,” and held open the door for her father.
Candice/Nathan was inside, flipping through the typewritten pages of a speech.
“Mister President,” said Bennet.
“Noah! Claire!” Candice stood up to greet them, laying her pages facedown. “Gosh, Claire, are you all right?”
Claire refrained from rolling her eyes, but made a mental note to taunt Candice about her poor acting skills when the time came for taunting. “I will be,” she said.
“Can you believe all of this?” Candice waved a hand at the window. “It’s getting very dangerous to be President nowadays.”
“You’re not the President,” Claire said. She heard her father shift beside her, and wondered if she’d given away the game too soon.
“No? Then who am I?” she asked smugly.
“Candice,” growled Bennet.
Candice/Nathan narrowed her eyes at him. “Well aren’t you clever. Help! Terrorists!” she shouted. Nothing happened.
Bennet shrugged in faux-apology. “I’m afraid your people are busy dealing with the real threat.”
Candice hesitated a moment, and then sprang for the opposite door. Claire was after her in a flash. She had to punch Candice twice to knock her out.
Noah came to stand beside her, looking down at Candice as she morphed back into a skinny brunette. He sighed. “Claire, I’ve told you not to hit with a closed fist.”
“Why? Broken knuckles don’t bother me.”
“Oh Claire.”
********
When Hiro and company came charging out of the West Wing, they almost collided with D.L., who stared at them in disbelief. “It’s a huge damn reunion out here tonight,” he said. “But—the Haitian!” He glanced back over his shoulders.
“We noticed,” said Matt.
“The soldiers, they’re on their way to take out anything that moves out there. It’s going to be a slaughter.” D.L. pointed out into the darkness, where the rattle of automatic weapons could already be heard.
“The only way out is through,” Hiro said, and turned to give his friends a hopeful smile.
A small explosion, a grenade, maybe, impacted against a tree no more than twenty feet away, and everyone jumped. “I guess that settles it,” Gabriel grumbled. Pulling Mohinder with him, he took off across the grass. Everyone else followed.
The situation on the south lawn was even more chaotic than it had been when they arrived. Hiro sprinted from tree to tree, trying to keep an eye on the rest of his team as they dodged and weaved toward the fence. Without being able to access their powers, they had to be extra cautious. It was hard to keep track of everyone in the dark, but he noticed that Alai had joined them, and Lara, too, making their way to safety by ducking between pieces of cover.
The soldiers were firing indiscriminately, shooting at anyone who wasn’t in uniform. It took a few minutes for the others, the ones Hiro didn’t recognize, to realize that their defenses were gone.
Out of the corner of his eye, Hiro saw a blonde woman—Jessica—come face to face with an armed soldier. She reached for his gun, intending apparently to pull it out of his hand, and froze when she realized she wasn’t strong enough. The soldier shot her point blank.
“No!” Hiro turned just in time to see D.L. break cover, running for the man who’d shot Jessica, gun raised, but he was cut down before he’d made it half way. Hiro forced himself to keep moving. He nearly ran into Micah, who had stopped in the middle of the lawn, frozen at what he’d just seen.
He grabbed Micah by the arm, dragging him along until they made it to the fence. That’s when the explosion happened. It wasn’t quite as small as Micah had led them to believe, but neither did it level the White House. It shook the ground under them, though, and threw them all to the grass.
Praying that the explosion had taken the Haitian out of commission, or at least caused his control to slip, Hiro made a quick decision. He closed his eyes and bent time.
********
Nathan and Peter blinked back into the Oval Office. Moonlight poured in through the windows, and Peter stumbled to the center of the room, sinking gratefully onto the floor.
“Peter? Are you okay?”
Peter scrubbed a hand over his forehead, surprised to find that he was sweating. “I think it’s using my powers so much,” he said, realizing as he said it how well the theory fit. Gabriel’s influence, seeing how something worked. “I’ll be fine.”
“Not going to explode?”
“Huh-uh.”
“If you have to,” Nathan said. “Let me know. I’ll carry you anywhere.”
Peter leaned his head against Nathan’s. “Thank you. Just one more thing to do.”
“What do you need?” Nathan asked.
“Just hold my hand,” said Peter. “I think you might need to bring me back.”
“What does that mean?”
“We’ll see,” said Peter. What he had to do now seemed, if not simple, at least straightforward. He closed his eyes and looked. It was Alai’s power that guided him, he thought, but it was Molly’s too, Celia’s, and maybe Matt’s. To start it was like opening box after box, first places Peter recognized: the pens at Chicago’s south side slave auction, Gillette’s brothel, the staff dorms at the Petrelli mansion. Then it was more like seeing lights on a map, a huge aerial view of the entire country, lit up by pinpoints of light as Peter found more and more of them.
Soon Peter could see them all, like pieces of a mosaic, image after image of the helix, the ink staining so many bodies, so many lives. He held them in his mind, concentrating on the marks until he felt his own wrist began to throb in sympathy.
He held onto the pain in his own body, pain outlining his slave tattoo like a red line of fire. He held onto the pain, but he pictured in his mind Nathan’s wrist, pressed close to his as Nathan clutched his arm: Nathan’s unmarked skin. He saw the marks, every single one of them, and he pulled.
************
Hiro ended up more or less where he aimed, and had only a second to draw his sword, bringing the pommel up to slam into the chin of the soldier who was aiming at Jessica.
Jessica recovered quickly from Hiro’s quick appearance, readying herself to fight, but Hiro shook his head. “Run,” he said. “Your son is waiting for you.”
“Mom!” Micah called from the trees behind her.
She whirled around. “Micah?”
“Run!” Hiro said again, and Jessica did.
As he watched Jessica dart behind a tree with Micah, Hiro felt a bullet whiz past his ear, and automatically tried to stop time. Of course, with the Haitian still in range, nothing happened. Holding his sword at the ready, he ran and prayed.
********
Nathan watched Peter’s face carefully, looking for a clue as to what he needed to do, but Peter’s eyes remained stubbornly closed. He held onto Peter’s arm, braced to take action at any moment. Never mind that he had no idea what he was supposed to do. Peter needed him, Peter had asked for his help, and he was not going to let Peter down this time.
Suddenly, Peter went stiff, jerking away from Nathan, and would have fallen backwards if Nathan hadn’t caught him. His eyes snapped open, but they didn’t see Nathan. Peter convulsed once in Nathan’s arms, then let out a strange, guttural whimper. Nathan held him gingerly. “Peter?” he whispered.
Peter stared straight ahead, and Nathan saw something drip from the corner of his mouth. At first, he thought it was blood, but it was too thin for that, and too dark. A little trickle of it ran from Peter’s nose, and as Nathan watched, it began to drip from his eyes as well, like streams of inky tears. “Peter?” he said again.
Peter pulled away again, this time using his full strength, slipping out of Nathan’s arms. He screamed, and from his open mouth poured more of the black stuff, streaming onto the floor in what seemed like a never-ending flood, pouring from Peter’s mouth, from his eyes, from his hands like stigmata.
****************
“Hiro?” Ando turned around in a full circle looking for his friend. He knew he’d been here a moment ago. He turned again at the sound of muffled thuds. Matt had fallen to the ground right next to him, and beyond that, Gabriel was clinging to Mohinder. “We have to keep moving,” he said, glancing nervously back at the dark lawn. “Those soldiers haven’t gone away, you know.”
“It hurts,” D.L. gasped, clutching a hand to his wrist. Ando did a double take when he saw him leaning against the fence, supported by Jessica. He was sure they hadn’t been there a minute ago.
Ando quickly took stock of who was down: Matt, Gabriel, Alai, D.L.… Everyone who’d had their abilities taken away. Everyone with a helix tattoo.
*******************
“Peter.” Nathan shook his brother, hands sticky with the black stuff, losing his grip on Peter’s skin. “Peter!” There was no response. His eyes remained stubbornly closed.
Nathan couldn’t think. He could barely breathe with the weight of dread on him. He pulled Peter into his arms; Peter was lighter than he remembered, but Nathan hated the feel of dead weight. If only Peter would wake up, cling to him, hold on for the ride. Nathan kicked open the French doors, emerging out onto the balustrade, and launched himself skyward.
The bay wasn’t far, for him: a few minutes flight. Wind and motion made Peter shift in his arms, and each time Nathan looked down to see if Peter was waking. He wasn’t.
City lights gave way to darkness when they reached the water, and Nathan took them down fast. He got a nose full of salt water as he hit the surface of the bay, but he didn’t lose his grip on Peter.
Somehow, he thought, if he could wash off the black, if Peter could just get clean, he would be fine. Careful to hold Peter’s head out of the water, he scrubbed the black out of Peter’s hair, off his skin: his hands emerged, then his arms. For a moment, Nathan stared. Both Peter’s wrists were pale, unmarked. His tattoo was gone.
Then Peter jerked in his arms.
“Peter?” Nathan held his brother’s head above the water gingerly, as if he might break.
“It’s f-f-freezing,” Peter said, and latched on to Nathan.
“Are you okay?” He looked alive, looked fine in fact, except for the uncontrollable shivering, but a moment ago, with black pouring out of him, Nathan had been so sure he’d finally lost him.
“I’m really okay,” Peter said. He looked around, suddenly realizing where they were. “Why’d you dump us in the ocean, dork?”
“I dunno. Old time’s sake?” He laughed, delighted and relieved. “I thought I’d lost you again.” He pulled Peter closer, pressing their lips together, kissing Peter until they sank beneath the surface together and had to come up for air.
When they’d caught their breath, Peter pushed Nathan’s hair out of his eyes. “You didn’t,” Peter said softly. “You didn’t lose me. I’m here.” The sun was coming up over the ocean. “I’m here.”
Epilogue
Author name:
brighteyed_jillCharacters: Ensemble, Peter/Nathan. Other slashiness if you squint.
Rating: R (for violence, adult themes, and angst)
Word Count: 14,000 (No, seriously. I’m not kidding.)
Warnings: Violence, angst, adult situations, minor character death.
Spoilers: Through the end of Season 1. Some Season 2 spoilers for character abilities only.
Summary: It all comes down to tonight.
Author’s note: All hail
redandglenda for her indispensable help on this entire project. Bonus points also go to jaune_chat this week, because she painted the word picture of Isaac’s painting. D.L. was amazed at how the Homeland Security soldiers fell in line for the Haitian. They’d followed him without question, creeping along the east edge of the building, and now they were all waiting for his signal to charge around the corner and turn the tide of the battle.
“We have a weapon that will temporarily disable their abilities,” the Haitian was saying. “When they realize this, they will run. You must take them before they know what’s happening.”
“You’re just going to kill them all?” D.L. asked.
The Haitian glared at him. “That’s what war is,” he said tightly.
“But—,” he began.
The Haitian cut him off. “Go,” he said to the soldiers. They sprang out onto the lawn, but the Haitian grabbed D.L. by the arm before he could join them.
“Here,” he pressed a gun into D.L.’s hand. “Just in case.”
“Should you really be giving me this?” D.L. asked.
“You are on the right side, I know it,” the Haitian said. “Go.”
********
Claire followed the sound of voices. She had no idea who had cut the power and killed everyone in the West Wing, but she was starting to get irritated. Peter had shown up and then just disappeared. Here she was trying to help, and she didn’t even know who the bad guys were. She heard footsteps approaching, loud in the quiet halls.
“Hello?” Claire dashed around the corner, but stumbled back a step as she felt the blunt, icy-cold pain of a bullet impact her chest. The shock of the pain carried her to the floor.
“Oh shit,” someone said from nearby. “She’s got a staff badge.” The flushed face of a uniformed young man appeared above her. “Oh shit.”
“Who’s in charge here?” A familiar voice pulled at her consciousness from a great distance.
“Shit man, do something!” Another uniformed man appeared beside the first, pressing his hand against Claire’s wound.
“Get off,” Claire muttered, pushing the man away. She felt the bullet working itself out of her, and began to worry. They couldn’t see her regenerate—that would ruin everything.
“Claire?” The familiar voice came again. “Get away from her!” The two uniformed men disappeared, replaced by her father, his face lined with anger. “I’ll take care of this. You two, go find some real bad guys to shoot. Go!”
“Dad,” Claire said happily.
“You okay, Claire Bear?”
She coughed violently for a moment, and heard the bullet plink to the floor. “I’m good.” She sat up, wiping her bloody hands on her sweater. “Were those Homeland Security troops?”
Bennet nodded grimly. “The place is crawling with them. Alicia Madden gave them shoot to kill orders on any evolved human.”
“Dad, what is going on?”
“There’s some sort of attack outside.” Bennet looked down the hall after the soldiers. “But if Alicia’s people are in here, too—.”
“I’m telling you, they’re trying to get rid of the President.” Claire scrambled to her feet. “I saw Peter, and he—.”
“Peter Petrelli?”
“Yes, Peter,” Claire said. As if she would mean anyone else. “He said they were taking Nathan away, and he went after them.”
“Peter Petrelli?” Bennet repeated incredulously.
“Yeah.”
“Alicia must have planned all this. If she’s getting rid of Nathan…”
Claire watched as understanding lit up her father’s face. “What?”
“Candice. She’s going to replace him.” Bennet grabbed her by the hand and led her back down the hall the way he’d come. Two Homeland Security soldiers greeted him at the entrance to the Blue Room. “Where’s the President?” he asked without preamble.
“Safe in the Residence,” said the first soldier. “Upstairs. We sent a detachment of Secret Service agents to guard him.”
“Is… Is she okay?” asked the second soldier, staring uneasily at Claire’s blood-soaked sweater.
Bennet ignored him. “When did you send the detachment?”
“About three minutes ago.”
Bennet looked questioningly at Claire, and she shook her head. The real Nathan was long gone; he couldn’t possibly be the one they were guarding upstairs.
“I’m going up to the Residence,” Bennet announced. “Radio ahead and tell your people not to shoot us.”
“Uh… of course,” said the second soldier, wilting a little under Bennet’s glare. Claire gave him a sympathetic smile before following her father upstairs.
*********
Nathan stared out the tiny window of the helicopter, trying to figure out where they were heading. He studiously ignored the two impassive Secret Service agents sitting across from him, the blonde girl, Elle, on the seat beside him, and the various aches all over his body from his earlier struggles. He was waiting for his next opportunity to run.
Elle pressed against him and ran a soft hand down his cheek, already purpling from the earlier hit. “They bruised you,” she said. It was almost a pout.
Nathan was tempted to ignore her, but she was the one he needed to distract in order to have any chance of escape. Nathan turned to look at her. Her girlish smile set his teeth on edge. “Look on the bright side—at least we’re keeping you alive,” she said.
“That’s nice.” He’d have another chance to escape, then. They weren’t taking him somewhere just to kill him.
“So you and I will get to spend a lot of time together.” She swung a leg over his lap, neatly straddling him.
He barely stopped himself from pushing her off.
“Don’t tell the suits,” she whispered. “But when we land I get to kill them and take you with me back to Hartsdale. Cool, huh?”
“I’m married,” Nathan said, loud enough for the agents to hear.
Elle shrugged and ran a finger down his nose. A blue light flickered, shocking him, and he jerked in his seat. Elle laughed delightedly, like a little girl, and wrapped her arms around Nathan. “We’re going to have a great time together.”
Outside there was a sudden flash of bright white light. The helicopter jolted, emitting an anguished mechanical squeal. Elle tumbled off Nathan’s lap, smacking into the floor with a painful thud, and the compartment was plunged into darkness.
“Ow. That was unnecessary,” Elle complained.
“The goddamn power blew,” the pilot shouted. “Back-up’s out, too.” Above them, the rotors were slowing. “Get your parachutes on.”
“Parachutes?” Elle squeaked.
Discussion was cut off by another violent shriek of metal on metal as the chopper door was pulled off. Elle charged her hands with electricity, and in that faint light Nathan could see both the Secret Service agents pointing their guns out into the darkness.
Peter appeared—just appeared out of nowhere—hovering out in the air like an avenging angel. Bullets flew first, and Peter halted them effortlessly, holding up a hand that stopped them in the air. “Look out for the girl!” Nathan barely had time to yell a warning before Elle threw a ball of electricity at Peter. Nathan watched in horror as Peter, dazed, started to fall out of the sky.
“No!” Nathan shouted. Before he could think, he was out of the helicopter, speeding after Peter. Elle’s blast caught him in the back, sending him spinning, falling.
Strong arms caught him, pulling him out of his tailspin. “That wasn’t quite what I was expecting,” Peter chuckled into his ear. “But it worked.”
********
Matt thought he might never be able to relax again after all of this. So far he’d managed to keep himself, Micah, and Molly out of sight of the roaming Homeland Security soldiers by overhearing their thoughts. Now if only Alicia Madden would stop moving so Molly could pinpoint her location, they might actually have a chance of accomplishing their mission.
Matt froze as he overheard another thought. So much for that. Now we just have to finish off the ones on the lawn. That voice was definitely female. Matt raised a questioning eyebrow, and Molly pointed urgently around the corner.
“Freeze!” Matt shouted, jumping out with his gun drawn. Micah and Molly stood to either side of him, holding their tazer guns threateningly.
What the hell is this? “You people are starting to damage my calm,” said Alicia. She was shorter than Matt had expected, a dark-haired woman whose sharp face reminded him of Officer Hanson’s long-ago comment that law enforcement tended to attract a certain kind of women: bitches.
“Where’s the list?” Matt demanded.
How does everyone know about this all of a sudden? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” This place is crawling with Homeland Security agents. No one is getting to that vault.
“What vault?” Matt asked, and was satisfied to see a flash of concern in Alicia’s eyes before she masked it.
No one’s supposed to know about that. That’s why the building plans don’t show the subbasement. “Are you supposed to be part of Jessica Sander’s little group?”
“Jessica?” Micah asked. Molly shushed him, and they both resumed brandishing their tazers.
“Just put down the gun,” Matt said. “I don’t want to have to hurt you.”
“Not a chance,” said Alicia. Just keep him talking, backup’s bound to come eventually.
“The subbasement. How do you get there?”
He knows too much. There’s no time. “I’ll show you,” she said. She took a slow step toward them, but Matt saw the reflection of silver in the window behind her as she drew her gun.
Before Matt could react, she’d grabbed Molly, effortlessly slapping the tazer out of her hand and wrapping an arm around her throat. “I’m surrounded by amateurs,” Alicia muttered, and pressed her gun against Molly’s temple. Matt and Micah both held very still, and Matt felt his own panicked thoughts being pressed by Micah’s near-hysteria.
“Let’s just stay calm,” Alicia said, addressing Matt. “There are soldiers all over the building. You’re trapped. Just come quietly, and we’ll let the kids live, okay?” Lower that gun so I can blow your brains out.
“Molly!”
Mohinder and Gabriel appeared at the end of the hallway, and it was Mohinder who had shouted.
“Oh for God’s sake.” Alicia fired down the hallway. Gabriel held up his hand, bringing the bullets to a harmless stop and letting them drop to the floor.
“Interesting,” said Alicia. Things are getting too crowded. In one quick move, she pushed Molly hard to the side, sending her crashing through the window, and took off up the stairs.
“No!” Matt, Mohinder, and Micah screamed in unison. Gabriel flung out a hand. They all crowded over to the window to find Molly hovering in midair.
“Telekinesis wasn’t meant for flying,” Gabriel said through gritted teeth. Matt, Mohinder, and Micah stepped away from the window so Gabriel could float Molly back inside. As soon as she was on the ground, Micah pounced: fussing over her, wiping blood off the little cut on her cheek, asking if she was okay.
“Fine,” she said ruefully. “But I’m really starting to hate that woman.” She turned to Gabriel. “And thanks,” she said. “Really.”
“We should go after her,” said Gabriel, starting for the stairs. “She’s probably calling more guards.”
“What about the list?” Micah asked.
“What list?” Mohinder turned to Matt.
“Your list,” Matt explained. “Apparently there’s a master copy, and we can destroy it.”
“Really destroy it? So they wouldn’t be able to find more evolved humans?” Mohinder asked excitedly.
“Exactly.”
“How? When?” Mohinder asked, grabbed Matt’s arm.
“She just gave up the location,” Matt said. “A secret subbasement.”
Gabriel stepped back over to them. “What about Alicia?” he asked.
“She’s still in the building,” Molly said. “Third floor, heading east.”
Mohinder looked quickly between Molly, Matt, and Gabriel, and his thoughts were too jumbled for Matt to decipher. Finally he said, “Gabriel and I will go after her. You three can destroy the list?”
“If you don’t mind, Doctor Suresh,” Matt said.
“You have my full permission.”
***********
Both of them flying together was a new experience. Nathan was sure he couldn’t have found his way in the dark, but Peter kept a tight grip on his hand. Somehow he steered them around trees with no problem, guiding them over the woods until the sound of rotor blades died behind them. Only then did Peter slow down, pulling Nathan with him into a clearing. Nathan didn’t have as much grace in his landing, and he managed to pull them both down into the snow. He jumped up immediately, cursing as he brushed snow off his bare chest.
“You’re freezing,” Peter said. He pulled off his long wool coat and wrapped it around Nathan’s shoulders.
“Where the hell are we, anyway?” asked Nathan.
“Somewhere in Maryland. What’s happening? Who were those people? What did they want with you?”
Nathan shook his head. “Alicia Madden, the Secretary of Homeland Security, made some sort of deal with some evolved humans, like that girl with the electricity thing. I don’t know what she’s planning. She needed me out of the way, though.”
“Well, she didn’t get you.” Peter started dragging pieces of wood to the center of the clearing, and Nathan watched him for a moment, puzzled.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to build us a fire. If we’re going to wait here for a while, we might as well be warm.”
“Peter, we’re not done yet. There’s something else. Something worse. Saving me doesn’t save the world.”
“I’ve done my part. I got you, and I’m keeping you out of harm’s way.” Peter touched his hand to the center of the pile of wood, and flames leapt up.
“That’s it? Peter, I’m just a small part of this. Alicia has some master plan.”
“What plan?”
“I don’t know, Peter. This isn’t an action movie. The villain didn’t outline her whole plot before she sent me off to be killed.”
Peter shrugged and pulled another log up to the fire to sit on. “Whatever it is, Hiro will take care of it.”
“Hiro?” Nathan sounded skeptical. “Come on. The man means well, but he’s not you.” Peter said nothing. “Listen… Monty’s been having these dreams, and sometimes they come true. I know this sounds crazy, but I think it might be some sort of ability. He saw—.”
“I know.”
“Excuse me?”
“The other night, I saw Monty’s dream.”
Nathan sat down on the log next to Peter. “You saw it?”
“Yeah. Kind of like mind reading,” Peter explained quickly. “Or maybe I absorbed his power. It doesn’t matter how. I saw it.”
“Then you know there’s something else we have to do. He said he saw people getting hurt. He saw a bad future, and—.”
“You die, Nathan.” Peter couldn’t look at his brother when he said it. “In the dream, you get shot and you die.”
“Oh.”
Peter couldn’t read Nathan’s expression; it was one he hadn’t seen on his brother before. “So we’re staying right here,” Peter said firmly. “Nobody’s shooting you on my watch.”
Nathan stared into the fire for a moment. Then he asked, “You saw this dream?”
“Yeah.”
“But there is more to it, isn’t there?” Nathan scooted closer to Peter. “There are worse things than a dead President.”
Peter refused to think of the worse things. Nathan’s death was bad enough. He hated that Monty had had to see so many more terrible things. “You’re safe,” he said at last.
“That’s not good enough,” said Nathan. “If there’s something else happening, we need to stop it. Come on.” He stood up. “Are we flying or what?”
“We’re staying right here,” Peter said stubbornly. “Even if we did go back, I have no idea what’s supposed to happen.”
“Think!” Nathan admonished him. “What else was in the dream?”
“I don’t know!” Peter pounded his fist on the ground in frustration, and suddenly images from Monty’s dream rushed up to envelop him.
He was standing in line with Mom and Simon. He held tight to Mom’s hand as they got closer to the chain link fence where the guards were pulling people out of line. Just ahead of them, the line passed very close to the woods. Mom leaned down and whispered something to Simon. When the line moved next, Mom let go of his hand, shoving him gently after his brother. They both took off running into the trees.
Simon kept hold of his hand, pulling him through bushes and over rocks. A whistle sounded behind them, and they tried to run faster. He stumbled and fell, and Simon dragged him behind a tree. They both sat there panting as sounds of shouting and dogs barking echoed through the forest. Simon looked down at his wrist, scratching at the tattoo there until a whistle shrilled nearby. Simon poked his head out from behind the tree and quickly pulled it back. “They’re too close,” Simon whispered. I’m going to jump out and distract them, and you run as fast as you can.”
“I don’t want to go by myself,” he whispered.
“Run and don’t look back,” Simon told him. “Go.”
He did as his brother said and ran until his chest hurt. He didn’t look back until he heard his brother scream. Then, without slowing, he snuck a glance behind him. His foot encountered air instead of dirt, and he tumbled head over heels, sliding down the muddy side of a pit to land on something soft and bumpy. He opened his eyes reluctantly. Body after body, stacks of them filling the pit, stared up at him with empty eyes, stark black tattoos standing out from pale, cold flesh. Monty screamed, scrambling backwards, but there was nowhere to go, no way out of the pit. A soldier appeared at the rim. “Help,” he screamed up to him, throwing up his arms. The man’s eyes flickered from his face to his wrist, and the soldier raised his gun.
“Peter.” Nathan was shaking him. “You with me? Peter?”
“Yeah.” Peter sat up. “Is it as simple as that?” he whispered.
“As simple as what?”
“There is something I can do,” Peter said. Even as he said it, he felt hope that this was the way to save the world.
Nathan didn’t bother to ask, just reached for his hand, and Peter took them away.
*********
“There’s one! Get him!”
Matt scrambled back around the corner as the Homeland Security soldier started to fire. “Are we close, at least?” he asked Micah as he shoved another clip into his gun.
Micah nodded. “The plans in the computer show air ducts and electrical conduits leading down here, so there’s got to be a secret room. I’m betting we’re in the right place. The vault should be just down this hallway.”
Matt gripped his gun determinedly. “Go on! I’ll hold them off!”
Micah pounded down the hallway, and Molly’s footfalls echoed beside his. He couldn’t help but think of all the times they’d run for their lives. If they could do really destroy the list, this could be the last time.
“Here,” Micah said, stopping in front of a nondescript metal door. “This is the room.” He touched the key panel, and the door clicked open.
The room was full of servers, all humming away industriously. Micah drifted toward the closest, a moth to flame, and leaned his palms against it.
“Well?” Molly asked, shifting nervously from foot to foot.
“I can see what we need. Give me a minute. I need to get it all. I don’t want to leave them any way to find us.”
********
“I can hear you,” Gabriel called. The floor was quiet except for three heartbeats: his, Mohinder’s and one that seemed entirely too calm for a woman running for her life.
“No one needs to get hurt here,” Mohinder shouted. “Just come out.”
Alicia made a run for it, darting across the hallway in front of them. Gabriel stopped her in her tracks. “I don’t want to kill you, but if you try anything, I will. With pleasure.” Gabriel regretted his intimidation tactic as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He tried to gauge Mohinder’s expression out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t want to give his friend any reason to doubt his state of mind. But he needn’t have worried. Mohinder held his gun in a white-knuckled grip, and seemed not even to have heard Gabriel.
“Threaten me all you want, Sylar,” Alicia said. “I’m not going to hear morally righteous talk from either of you—a serial killer and a traitor.” She turned her glare on Mohinder. “I’m especially disappointed in you, Doctor Suresh. All this time you knew Nathan Petrelli was an evolved human, and you let him run free, let him become President.”
“How did you know that?” Mohinder asked. Gabriel noticed that his hand was trembling.
“A nice man named Bob came to me with a business proposition. He helped me get rid of Petrelli, and all I had to do was dangle your list in front of him, doctor. That list has been so useful to us, I really can’t thank you enough.”
“You won’t be around to enjoy it much longer,” Mohinder said, and raised his gun.
“Whoa, easy,” said Gabriel softly. He turned his concentration to Mohinder, cautiously placing a hand on his back. Mohinder shrugged him off.
“This is mine,” Mohinder snapped. Gabriel slowly withdrew his hand, but he didn’t relax for a second. Mohinder had killed once tonight on his behalf, but that had been in the heat of battle. Killing an unarmed victim was different, Gabriel knew. He was determined that Mohinder not take any more scars on his soul.
“It doesn’t matter,” Alicia said. She still sounded perfectly calm. “Tomorrow everyone will see that evolved human terrorists attacked the White House. Maybe they killed the President and his family, maybe they just gave the President a new perspective. Either way, it’s going to be a brave new world. Nowhere to hide. Safe for normal people. I think that’s worth dying for.”
Gabriel held his breath until Mohinder lowered the gun.
“I knew you didn’t have it in you, doctor,” Alicia said. Taking advantage of Gabriel’s distraction, she whipped out her own gun, firing blindly down the hallway.
As if in slow motion, Gabriel saw Mohinder fall. “No!” He felt something snap inside him, and he was on Alicia before he realized he’d moved, clawing at her with bare hands and telekinesis, feasting on her screams. Blood, sweet and warm on his face, poured over him like baptismal waters, and he felt more than heard the gurgle in her throat as she gasped out her life. “Die,” he screamed at her, at staring, terror-filled eyes. “Die!”
Then there were arms around his chest, pulling him away. He clung to the body with single-minded ferocity, clawing at it. He had to destroy it, burn it to ashes, grind it to powder, end it.
“Gabriel, let go. Come back.”
Mohinder. It was Mohinder. He allowed himself to be dragged off of the corpse, out of the mess of blood. He met Mohinder’s worried eyes. “She shot you,” Gabriel said in confusion.
“Grazed.” Mohinder pointed to the bloody furrow in his side. “I’ll live. Are you back with me?”
“Yeah.” Gabriel scrubbed a dirty hand across his face, and it came back even bloodier. He ducked his head, suddenly ashamed to be seen. Mohinder unwound his scarf and wiped Gabriel’s face with it.
“It’s all right,” he said softly. “Let’s get out of here.”
*********
Matt, Micah, and Molly ran in to Hiro and Ando in the front foyer. “Where have you guys been?” Ando asked.
“Destroying the list,” Micah said excitedly.
“Huh?” asked Ando.
“Never mind,” Matt said quickly. “This place is crawling with Homeland Security guys. We need to get out of here.”
“I agree,” said Hiro. “Have you seen—.”
“We’re right here,” Mohinder interrupted, jogging up with Gabriel at his side.
“Alicia?” Molly asked.
“We took care of her,” said Mohinder bleakly.
“So is that it? Did we save the world?” Ando asked.
“Either way, we should get going,” Micah said. Then, under his breath. “Those servers are going to self-destruct.”
“You let him blow up the White House?” Hiro asked Matt incredulously.
“Just part of the basement,” Micah grumbled.
“This is what happens when you put a fourteen-year-old in charge of saving the world,” said Ando.
“Let’s get out of here.” Hiro grabbed Ando’s shoulder, and the rest crowded in around him. Hiro squeezed his eyes shut, and nothing happened. “Uh oh.”
“So… Are we leaving?” asked Micah.
“Damnit,” Matt said softly. “I can’t hear what you’re thinking.”
“The Haitian,” they all said together.
********
“He in there?” Bennet asked one of the Secret Service agents who stood in front of the door to Treaty Room.
“Yep. Safe and sound,” said the man.
“I’m here to give him an update,” said Bennet.
“Um, is she okay?” asked a second Secret Service agent, his eyes fixed on the large blood stain on Claire’s chest.
“It’s okay. I’m his personal secretary,” said Claire, deliberately misunderstanding. She held up her staff badge. “See?”
Gunshots and shouting rang out down the hall. The two Secret Service agents tensed, reaching for their firearms. Bennet, too, pulled his gun from its hip holster. “You go hold them off at the landing. I’ll stay with the President,” he said quickly.
They hesitated. “Sir, I’m not sure we should—,” one began, but Bennet cut him off.
“Do you want one of those evolved humans to set the President on fire from a distance, or create a nuclear explosion that takes out the whole floor, or suck all the oxygen out of this room while you’re standing here sniveling?” he asked. The men shook their heads. “Go on!” Bennet shouted, and they went.
Claire gave an impressed “hm,” and held open the door for her father.
Candice/Nathan was inside, flipping through the typewritten pages of a speech.
“Mister President,” said Bennet.
“Noah! Claire!” Candice stood up to greet them, laying her pages facedown. “Gosh, Claire, are you all right?”
Claire refrained from rolling her eyes, but made a mental note to taunt Candice about her poor acting skills when the time came for taunting. “I will be,” she said.
“Can you believe all of this?” Candice waved a hand at the window. “It’s getting very dangerous to be President nowadays.”
“You’re not the President,” Claire said. She heard her father shift beside her, and wondered if she’d given away the game too soon.
“No? Then who am I?” she asked smugly.
“Candice,” growled Bennet.
Candice/Nathan narrowed her eyes at him. “Well aren’t you clever. Help! Terrorists!” she shouted. Nothing happened.
Bennet shrugged in faux-apology. “I’m afraid your people are busy dealing with the real threat.”
Candice hesitated a moment, and then sprang for the opposite door. Claire was after her in a flash. She had to punch Candice twice to knock her out.
Noah came to stand beside her, looking down at Candice as she morphed back into a skinny brunette. He sighed. “Claire, I’ve told you not to hit with a closed fist.”
“Why? Broken knuckles don’t bother me.”
“Oh Claire.”
********
When Hiro and company came charging out of the West Wing, they almost collided with D.L., who stared at them in disbelief. “It’s a huge damn reunion out here tonight,” he said. “But—the Haitian!” He glanced back over his shoulders.
“We noticed,” said Matt.
“The soldiers, they’re on their way to take out anything that moves out there. It’s going to be a slaughter.” D.L. pointed out into the darkness, where the rattle of automatic weapons could already be heard.
“The only way out is through,” Hiro said, and turned to give his friends a hopeful smile.
A small explosion, a grenade, maybe, impacted against a tree no more than twenty feet away, and everyone jumped. “I guess that settles it,” Gabriel grumbled. Pulling Mohinder with him, he took off across the grass. Everyone else followed.
The situation on the south lawn was even more chaotic than it had been when they arrived. Hiro sprinted from tree to tree, trying to keep an eye on the rest of his team as they dodged and weaved toward the fence. Without being able to access their powers, they had to be extra cautious. It was hard to keep track of everyone in the dark, but he noticed that Alai had joined them, and Lara, too, making their way to safety by ducking between pieces of cover.
The soldiers were firing indiscriminately, shooting at anyone who wasn’t in uniform. It took a few minutes for the others, the ones Hiro didn’t recognize, to realize that their defenses were gone.
Out of the corner of his eye, Hiro saw a blonde woman—Jessica—come face to face with an armed soldier. She reached for his gun, intending apparently to pull it out of his hand, and froze when she realized she wasn’t strong enough. The soldier shot her point blank.
“No!” Hiro turned just in time to see D.L. break cover, running for the man who’d shot Jessica, gun raised, but he was cut down before he’d made it half way. Hiro forced himself to keep moving. He nearly ran into Micah, who had stopped in the middle of the lawn, frozen at what he’d just seen.
He grabbed Micah by the arm, dragging him along until they made it to the fence. That’s when the explosion happened. It wasn’t quite as small as Micah had led them to believe, but neither did it level the White House. It shook the ground under them, though, and threw them all to the grass.
Praying that the explosion had taken the Haitian out of commission, or at least caused his control to slip, Hiro made a quick decision. He closed his eyes and bent time.
********
Nathan and Peter blinked back into the Oval Office. Moonlight poured in through the windows, and Peter stumbled to the center of the room, sinking gratefully onto the floor.
“Peter? Are you okay?”
Peter scrubbed a hand over his forehead, surprised to find that he was sweating. “I think it’s using my powers so much,” he said, realizing as he said it how well the theory fit. Gabriel’s influence, seeing how something worked. “I’ll be fine.”
“Not going to explode?”
“Huh-uh.”
“If you have to,” Nathan said. “Let me know. I’ll carry you anywhere.”
Peter leaned his head against Nathan’s. “Thank you. Just one more thing to do.”
“What do you need?” Nathan asked.
“Just hold my hand,” said Peter. “I think you might need to bring me back.”
“What does that mean?”
“We’ll see,” said Peter. What he had to do now seemed, if not simple, at least straightforward. He closed his eyes and looked. It was Alai’s power that guided him, he thought, but it was Molly’s too, Celia’s, and maybe Matt’s. To start it was like opening box after box, first places Peter recognized: the pens at Chicago’s south side slave auction, Gillette’s brothel, the staff dorms at the Petrelli mansion. Then it was more like seeing lights on a map, a huge aerial view of the entire country, lit up by pinpoints of light as Peter found more and more of them.
Soon Peter could see them all, like pieces of a mosaic, image after image of the helix, the ink staining so many bodies, so many lives. He held them in his mind, concentrating on the marks until he felt his own wrist began to throb in sympathy.
He held onto the pain in his own body, pain outlining his slave tattoo like a red line of fire. He held onto the pain, but he pictured in his mind Nathan’s wrist, pressed close to his as Nathan clutched his arm: Nathan’s unmarked skin. He saw the marks, every single one of them, and he pulled.
************
Hiro ended up more or less where he aimed, and had only a second to draw his sword, bringing the pommel up to slam into the chin of the soldier who was aiming at Jessica.
Jessica recovered quickly from Hiro’s quick appearance, readying herself to fight, but Hiro shook his head. “Run,” he said. “Your son is waiting for you.”
“Mom!” Micah called from the trees behind her.
She whirled around. “Micah?”
“Run!” Hiro said again, and Jessica did.
As he watched Jessica dart behind a tree with Micah, Hiro felt a bullet whiz past his ear, and automatically tried to stop time. Of course, with the Haitian still in range, nothing happened. Holding his sword at the ready, he ran and prayed.
********
Nathan watched Peter’s face carefully, looking for a clue as to what he needed to do, but Peter’s eyes remained stubbornly closed. He held onto Peter’s arm, braced to take action at any moment. Never mind that he had no idea what he was supposed to do. Peter needed him, Peter had asked for his help, and he was not going to let Peter down this time.
Suddenly, Peter went stiff, jerking away from Nathan, and would have fallen backwards if Nathan hadn’t caught him. His eyes snapped open, but they didn’t see Nathan. Peter convulsed once in Nathan’s arms, then let out a strange, guttural whimper. Nathan held him gingerly. “Peter?” he whispered.
Peter stared straight ahead, and Nathan saw something drip from the corner of his mouth. At first, he thought it was blood, but it was too thin for that, and too dark. A little trickle of it ran from Peter’s nose, and as Nathan watched, it began to drip from his eyes as well, like streams of inky tears. “Peter?” he said again.
Peter pulled away again, this time using his full strength, slipping out of Nathan’s arms. He screamed, and from his open mouth poured more of the black stuff, streaming onto the floor in what seemed like a never-ending flood, pouring from Peter’s mouth, from his eyes, from his hands like stigmata.
****************
“Hiro?” Ando turned around in a full circle looking for his friend. He knew he’d been here a moment ago. He turned again at the sound of muffled thuds. Matt had fallen to the ground right next to him, and beyond that, Gabriel was clinging to Mohinder. “We have to keep moving,” he said, glancing nervously back at the dark lawn. “Those soldiers haven’t gone away, you know.”
“It hurts,” D.L. gasped, clutching a hand to his wrist. Ando did a double take when he saw him leaning against the fence, supported by Jessica. He was sure they hadn’t been there a minute ago.
Ando quickly took stock of who was down: Matt, Gabriel, Alai, D.L.… Everyone who’d had their abilities taken away. Everyone with a helix tattoo.
*******************
“Peter.” Nathan shook his brother, hands sticky with the black stuff, losing his grip on Peter’s skin. “Peter!” There was no response. His eyes remained stubbornly closed.
Nathan couldn’t think. He could barely breathe with the weight of dread on him. He pulled Peter into his arms; Peter was lighter than he remembered, but Nathan hated the feel of dead weight. If only Peter would wake up, cling to him, hold on for the ride. Nathan kicked open the French doors, emerging out onto the balustrade, and launched himself skyward.
The bay wasn’t far, for him: a few minutes flight. Wind and motion made Peter shift in his arms, and each time Nathan looked down to see if Peter was waking. He wasn’t.
City lights gave way to darkness when they reached the water, and Nathan took them down fast. He got a nose full of salt water as he hit the surface of the bay, but he didn’t lose his grip on Peter.
Somehow, he thought, if he could wash off the black, if Peter could just get clean, he would be fine. Careful to hold Peter’s head out of the water, he scrubbed the black out of Peter’s hair, off his skin: his hands emerged, then his arms. For a moment, Nathan stared. Both Peter’s wrists were pale, unmarked. His tattoo was gone.
Then Peter jerked in his arms.
“Peter?” Nathan held his brother’s head above the water gingerly, as if he might break.
“It’s f-f-freezing,” Peter said, and latched on to Nathan.
“Are you okay?” He looked alive, looked fine in fact, except for the uncontrollable shivering, but a moment ago, with black pouring out of him, Nathan had been so sure he’d finally lost him.
“I’m really okay,” Peter said. He looked around, suddenly realizing where they were. “Why’d you dump us in the ocean, dork?”
“I dunno. Old time’s sake?” He laughed, delighted and relieved. “I thought I’d lost you again.” He pulled Peter closer, pressing their lips together, kissing Peter until they sank beneath the surface together and had to come up for air.
When they’d caught their breath, Peter pushed Nathan’s hair out of his eyes. “You didn’t,” Peter said softly. “You didn’t lose me. I’m here.” The sun was coming up over the ocean. “I’m here.”
Epilogue
