Characters: Matt Parkman, Audrey Hanson, Nathan Petrelli.
Disclaimer: Heroes is the property of Tim Kring and a bunch of other awesome people.
Author's Note: Prompted by a line by Matt Parkman in Lizards; "We met in Texas when you came in to lawyer your brother out of jail." The implications were too good to pass over. This was not intended to be comedy, but the combination Parkman/Hanson/Nathan gave it a push in that direction. Quick, harmless and utterly pointless fun. Enjoy!
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The growing frustrations of Officer Parkman
"I said let it go, Parkman."
Matt Parkman heaved a heavy sigh and hit the inside of the car door next to him in frustration. "We're this close, I know it. I feel like all the people in this goddamn place are smarter than we are. The girl's blood was all over the place and she had not a scratch on her. The father knows something about Sylar. And he's deliberately trying to block me out. Like he – he knows what I can do."
Agent Hanson gave Matt a sidelong glance. "What are you getting at, a conspiracy theory?"
"He's hiding something, he knows about Sylar, and he's working with the last guy I saw before I lost a day. What else do you need?"
"I need something that'll hold up in court for a change, Parkman."
"Look, I think he's here. Sylar. Bennet has him."
"That won't."
"Won't what?"
"Hold up in court."
"I know. We just need more time. He's bound to make a mistake sooner or later."
Hanson made no reply and stared out of the car window at the front hall of Primatech Paper Co. Matt followed her example, but after a while, he looked at her, frowning. "Petrelli might be an idea, yes."
She turned to face him. "I told you not to do that."
"And I told you I can't help it. So what about Petrelli?"
"There isn't a thing we can do about Petrelli. His brother has seen to that. You were the one who told the sheriff that he didn't have anything to do with the murder, so there's no reason for us to go questioning him again. And you told me you couldn't read his mind without him knowing."
"We could just ask."
Hanson looked at Matt as if she was questioning his sanity.
"He came all the way from New York because he somehow knew Sylar was about to kill, and he even knew who he wanted," Matt explained. "If he hasn't talked to us, it's because his brother told him not to. You remember his outburst at the end? He wanted us to get Sylar. He can help. He'll probably even want to help."
"That's all well and good, Parkman, but if you as much as wish him a good day, his brother's going to sue us. He made that clear enough."
Matt thought about this.
"Then – we'll try and talk to the brother. The sheriff said he was gonna be here tonight to collect Peter."
"Parkman, what makes you think talking to Nathan Petrelli will be any more possible than talking to his brother?"
"He needn't know he's 'talking' to me."
"Hasn't the thought crossed your mind that maybe he would? If Peter Petrelli can read minds too, what makes you think it's safe to try his brother?"
Matt started the car. "We're gonna give it a try. Reading minds is perfectly legal. Even he won't be able to disprove that."
As the left the Primatech car park to head back to the sheriff's station, Matt clearly heard Hanson thinking, Things were a lot easier when you were the only mind reader around, Parkman.
He sighed. You and me both, Agent Hanson.
It was getting dark when they got to Sheriff McCain's office. The sheriff eyed them warily as they entered, clearly prepared to fight off any further FBI advances towards Peter Petrelli. He didn't want any trouble with Nathan Petrelli's lawyers either. Matt shook his head. He strongly felt that the elder Petrelli's fierceness in protecting his brother – or his own image – was nothing but a massive impediment to the investigations, but unfortunately, it were all squarely legal.
Agent Hanson was quick to reassure McCain that they had not come to cause him any more trouble, merely stating that an FBI representative ought to be present for the release.
Hanson and Matt went out into the hall to wait. Matt spotted a vending machine in a corner and turned to her. "Want a drink? I'm buying."
"After today's tex-mex? You are spoiling me, Parkman."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "A diet coke?"
She gave him a sardonic smile and he trudged off to the vending machine to get the diet coke, and some water for himself. His head was aching again after the experience with the mysterious black guy that afternoon, not to mention the rather uncomfortable affair when he'd tried to mind-read Peter Petrelli the previous day.
He gave Hanson the diet coke and got out his bottle of aspirin when she nodded towards the door. "Enter the legal department."
Matt turned casually and saw three men enter the building. The man walking in front was clearly the elder Petrelli; the other two – lawyers, no doubt – looked as if Petrelli had picked them for sheer size. They certainly looked imposing. The kind of people whose mere presence was more convincing than a diploma.
"He is gonna make an impression, huh?" he murmured to Hanson.
She gave him her usual You better be right about this, Parkman look, and rose from her seat.
"Good evening, Mr. Petrelli. I'm Agent Hanson, FBI. This is Officer Parkman."
Petrelli gave them an 'I see' sort of smile that looked almost condescending. "Good evening." Mat could see that there was a guarded look in his eye that said, Don't you dare give me any more trouble. The two lawyers behind him shifted their position. If they'd been bodyguards, they would probably have flexed their muscles. Matt half expected them to flex their briefcases.
Agent Hanson didn't need to be a mind-reader in order to know what was going on. "Don't worry, Mr Petrelli. I'm just here to represent the FBI for your brother's release. There's still a few things that need to be cleared up with the Sheriff."
Petrelli's eyes narrowed. "I was told that the charges against my brother had been dropped."
"I'm not saying anything different, Mr. Petrelli. I'm mainly talking about paperwork."
Matt concentrated on Nathan Petrelli. He found that he had a lot of trouble focussing, and wondered if it was the aspirin or the headaches, or a combination of the two. At least there was no feedback, the way he'd experienced it with the younger Petrelli. So he was probably not aware what Matt was doing.
Matt got nothing more than jumbles of annoyed thoughts about having to put up with bureaucracy as he followed them back to the sheriff's office.
The sheriff was intent on getting it over with. He was as convinced as anyone that Peter Petrelli hadn't killed Jackie Wilcox, so there was little argument over the release forms – to Matt's disappointment, as mutual agreement and quick efficiency was rarely helpful in getting interesting or deviating thoughts from anyone. During the sparse exchange, he kept concentrating on Nathan Petrelli, and became increasingly frustrated. Somehow, all he had successfully mind-read today was that Agent Hanson liked diet coke. First the mysterious man with Bennet had interfered with him, and now, he found himself unable to get anything interesting out of Nathan Petrelli. There was no static, there wasn't the strange feeling he'd experienced with Bennet. There was a certain feeling of… fluidity, for lack of a better word. There was just nothing to get hold of. Nobody was blocking him out this time; it was just that he couldn't grasp anything. As if Petrelli was deliberately keeping his mind blank. Except that Matt didn't think he was doing anything deliberately. It was like trying to catch water. It was all there, but there was no way to get hold of it.
Perhaps a politician's mind had to work that way. Petrelli didn't even need spooky black guys around to keep Matt out. He was probably so experienced in lying that he could convince even himself of anything, blocking out any hints to the contrary.
When all the forms were signed, all the loopholes closed, the lawyer/gorillas had gone back to the car, and Petrelli was about to head off with the sheriff to fetch his brother, Matt made one last desperate attempt to prompt a more interesting thought. He'd made a fool of himself in front Bennet the previous day; he might as well do it again today. It wasn't as if he was ever going to be best friends with Nathan Petrelli anyway.
"Well, Mr. Petrelli, uhm… good-bye then. You, uh, must be very relieved that this is over. And that everything's, uh, back to normal."
The look Petrelli gave him said "What is this guy talking about?" even more clearly than his thoughts did. Matt just sensed him catch on the word "normal." He made himself focus.
Petrelli turned to the sheriff, away from Matt, and loosened his tie as he said, "Let's go. Are these Peter's things?" And they were off.
"Anything?" Agent Hanson asked Matt when they were alone again.
Matt rubbed his aching temples. "No. Nothing useful. Only pretty much what he said… and some stuff I can't begin to figure out."
She frowned. "What stuff?"
"It was… ah, he probably just had a catchy tune in his head. R. Kelly or something."
Hanson's eyebrows nearly crept into her hairline. "R. Kelly."
Matt shook his head and looked down at his feet when they exited the building and headed for the car. "Like I said, nothing useful," he murmured. "Let's get back to Primatech. I finally want some answers." Thanks, Petrelli, he thought crossly as he started the engine. Now it's gonna be days before I get 'I believe I can fly' out of my head again.