I'm just gonna let you know up front: Peter dies. It's one of those, Nathan learns his lesson by watching Peter die stories driven by my overwhelming "Nathan you so wrong" angst. Sigh. Nathan! You are SO WRONG! Okay, I feel better.
I also wrote this from the perspective of an outside party. I really like to think about how normal people view the Heroes of the show.
Hope you enjoy!
Annie couldn't help but smile as she double checked the load of her projectile stunner. It was so nice to load a gun with something other than bullets. She had been hesitant when they pulled her from her platoon, conflicted. She had wanted to leave Afghanistan but she hadn't liked leaving her comrades behind. As she loaded the toy gun, she felt again the relief mixed with shame and sighed.
At least here, fighting the Senator's boogey men, no one would get hurt.
Annie watched the Senator. He was talking to an aide of some sort and looking very much like a politician. He was lean thought; fit. Maybe there was still a bit of the Annapolis graduate in there. He stood and started walking toward her unit. So, Annie made a final check of her equipment and stood.
"Okay," The Senator said and rubbed his hands together slowly, "I just wanted to come over here and make certain it is understood; No one engages Peter until I give the signal and there is to be no, I repeat, no deadly force brought to bear. Peter is not a threat to the world directly."
Annie found herself thinking snidely, "Then this manhunt deal is a bit of a waste of time." But kept silent as the Senator continued.
"However, he doesn't understand the need for this program and by fighting the program he prevents us from ensuring the world is safe."
The Senator scanned them with his eyes.
"I know some of you have been exposed to people deemed hostile that don't seem to fit the term. I'll tell you right now, appearances can be deceiving but, you're right, some of these people are innocent. They have abilities that make them no threat or, like Peter, the subject tonight," Annie noted the Senator had difficulty referring to his brother as the subject. "they have dangerous abilities but would never employ them maliciously."
The Senator spread his hands.
"I know it must be difficult to take down children, mothers, businessmen but trust that this needs to be done. When it is over and we have control and the world is safe. Then we can weed out the innocent from the guilty; the good from the bad but first, we must have control. Only then will we have the freedom to make those distinctions."
Annie wanted very much to point out that the Senator obviously had made a distinction, an exception with his brother. However, the Senator seemed to have anticipated her thought.
"I know it looks like I'm playing favorites here." The man smiled sadly. "Maybe I am, but I have the advantage of having known my brother for all of his life. I have the advantage of knowing Peter is a good man. So good, it often puts me to shame. He is also very powerful and not a little influential. If Peter can be made to see the truth, that this operation is vitally needed, he would be an unparalleled ally."
The Senator scanned the group again.
"Many of you are veterans of this operation. You've heard of Sylar."
Annie felt the shift in mood in her comrades. Even she had heard stories of Sylar, the boogeyman to beat all boogeymen.
"I truly believe Peter is the only person on this planet who has a chance of bringing Sylar down, of bringing him to justice for all the pain he has caused and evil he has done. If you want Sylar to pay, you need Peter alive. If you want Sylar to pay, you need to let me convince him to join us."
The Senator scanned the group again.
"Am I understood, soldiers?"
"Yes, Sir!" Annie chorused back with the unit.
The Senator nodded. "I know I can trust you to do your duty. I'll leave you to it."
The unit was ordered to deploy to their various hiding places. As Annie peeked out, she noted the warehouse did indeed look empty but for the Senator walking lazy circles in the open area at the center of the wide room.
They waited for the Senator's brother, Peter apparently, to arrive.
When he did, Annie wasn't ready for it. She was in position. She was locked and loaded. But she wasn't ready to see a man fly in through an open skylight and hover for a moment before descending gracefully to the floor.
"Impressive, Peter." The Senator said.
"Well, I learned from the best." The subject said with a crooked smile. Annie wondered what that meant.
"I'm in trouble, you know." The subject said then.
The Senator didn't say anything but he must have looked a question because the subject went on to say.
"They told me I shouldn't come. They said I can't trust you."
"Then why did you come, Peter?" said the Senator.
The subject shrugged. "You're my brother, Nathan. "
"I've betrayed you before, Peter. Why do you do that? Why do you keep trusting people who have burned you?"
"Because you're a good person, Nathan. I know you are. You're just confused." The subject said earnestly, stepping forward. "I know you think you're doing the right thing. You just don't know where it leads. You don't understand. None of you do."
Now the subject seemed be becoming angry. He had turned away from the Senator and was staring darkly at the floor.
"You know Matt wants to kill you, Nathan?"
The subject turned back to the Senator, who looked uncomfortable.
"Doesn't that tell you something is wrong, Nathan? Matt Parkman, the cop who took four bullets trying to stop Sylar. The man who helped us take down Adam Monroe and stopped him from releasing the virus. He wants to kill you, Nathan. He thinks you're a villain."
"But that's the point, Pete. The Sylars. The Adam Monroes are exactly why this project is so important. We have to get back control and make sure these people aren't free to hurt people like Matt Parkman. When we have control, we'll be able to distinguish, not now. When this is over the innocent will go free, Peter. I promise."
"Like Daphne?" The subject said, his voice tinged with emotion. "When this is all over, Nathan, are you going to bring her back to life? You have some kind of new ability that brings people back from the dead?"
The Senator sighed.
"I'm sorry about Daphne, Peter. I really am. I guess I can understand how Matt must feel."
The subject laughed bitterly.
"You have no idea, Nathan. You really don't."
The subject paced for a minute and seemed to be fighting with emotion.
"Sometimes, I really wish other people saw the future. I really do. In the future, Nathan, you and Daphne worked together. She was on your little team of super enforcers. She and Matt were married. They were raising Molly and…" the subjects voice faltered for a moment. "They had a baby, Nathan. You know what kills me? I'm the only person who will ever have known that little girl. It hurts that Daphne is gone but somehow, knowing that she'll never have her baby hurts more because to the rest of the world, that litle girl never existed. No one even knows to grieve but me."
The Senator approached the subject who stood with his back to his brother, his shoulders hunched. The Senator turned the subject around with a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Peter," He said so softly, Annie almost didn't catch it. "I am sorry. I really am. Don't you see, that if you join us. If you're helping us…what did I tell you, Peter? I'm a shark. Everybody knows it, but you. Peter, people trust you and for good reason. If you tell them it's only temporary. If you explain, they'll listen. Maybe if you're helping us, no one else will die."
The subject jerked away. "Truth be told, Nathan, I expected to have been shot by now."
"Then why did you come?" The Senator asked again.
"Maybe part of me wants to be shot." The subject said dismissively.
"That's not funny, Pete." The Senator said quickly and angrily.
"Oh, I kinda think it is." The subject said darkly. "I'm tired of this, Nathan. How many times have I stood here warning people? I see the future, you arrogant prick! I saw Claire dying and you destroyed the painting because you wouldn't listen to me. I saw New York in flames and you wouldn't listen. I saw the virus and was manipulated by Adam. I saw the future you and Dad were creating and had to fight both of you to stop it. Adam used me. Dad tried to experiment on me. Dad tried to kill me. In the future, Nathan. You killed me." The subject barked a bitter laugh. "Well, technically it was Claire but you sent her. Future you sending future her to kill future me. Then she tortured me, not future me but me."
The subject shook his head furiously and Annie caught the gleam of tears flying.
"Why won't any of you ever listen to me!" He screamed angrily.
"Peter, calm down." The Senator said and held up his hands.
"That's very easy for you to say, Nathan. You haven't seen the world explode. You haven't stood in a warehouse stacked to the ceiling with human bodies and had a bureaucrat tell you, 'it's been a bad week'."
The subject sat down.
"You know what's strange, Nathan. In all of the futures I've been to, all of the futures I've seen, you die. Sylar killed you. You were one of the first people to die from the virus. … In one of those futures, Nathan, I killed you myself." He sighed.
"I'm tired of watching you die. I'm tired of fixing the future and having it all go to hell again. I'm tired, Nathan." The subject started crying.
"Then stop, Peter." The Senator said kneeling down in front of the subject. He put his hand on the subject's shoulder. "Stop fighting and help us."
The subject laughed and, shaking his head, stood up.
"You mean, since I can't save the world, I might as well hurry the end? You really don't get it. Helping you isn't going to save the world, Nathan. You're not part of the solution. You're part of the problem."
"Peter, what you saw doesn't have to happen. If you help me, we can prevent that."
The subject made an exasperated sound.
"You never listen to me. What is that, Nathan? Is it the little brother thing? You saw Mom change my diapers, so I can't possibly, ever be right?"
"No, Peter. You're clouded by your emotions. You're afraid."
"And you're wrong, Nathan." The subject snapped. "A lot."
The two stood for a long silence staring at each other.
Then the subject bowed his head.
"Just call out your goons already." He sighed. Annie grit her teeth. She didn't like being called a goon.
"Peter…" The Senator began but the subject interrupted.
"I know they're there, Nathan." He turned his head. "I can hear them."
Annie suddenly felt the strangest feeling. It was as though she had been plunged into water but there was no dampness, no moisture, just constant steady pressure everywhere. She was moving forward at an impossible speed directly at the subject.
She saw stunner darts flying toward him but they all slowed and stopped, hanging impossibly in the air. She felt herself come to an abrupt stop. The subject was holding his hand toward her as though he were gripping her without touching her.
"Peter," The Senator said anxiously. "What are you doing?"
"I'm being a monster, Nathan. That's what I am, right? I'm a monster that has to be chained and caged. I'm a rabid dog that needs to be put down."
Annie saw that the rest of the unit had emerged from their hiding places. They had dropped their stun weapons and drawn their side arms.
"Put her down!" Rudy yelled.
The Senator held up his hands and shouted, "Everyone stay calm. The situation is under control. No one moves, okay." He turned and faced the subject with a small smile. "He's not going to hurt her."
"Yes, I will, Nathan!" The subject yelled. "I'll kill her! I'll break her neck."
Annie braced herself for some kind of pressure or pain but nothing happened.
The Senator laughed. "Pete, look at who you're talking to. We both know you won't hurt her."
Tears appeared in the subjects eyes. "You guys wanna take that chance? Huh?" The tear filled eyes started darting from face to face.
"Come on!" He screamed. "Shoot me! I'll kill her. I swear!"
"They're not going to help you kill yourself, Peter." The Senator said slowly.
Annie saw the unit reluctantly lowering their weapons in response to the Senator's gestured command.
"Put the girl down."
Annie felt a flare of anger. I'm not a little girl. She thought fiercely.
To her surprise the subject turned and stared at her as though she had spoken out loud.
He frowned and then smiled a crooked smile for an instant.
His hand unclenched and she felt herself lowering to the ground. The pressing sensation disappeared and she was standing on her feet again.
"Come on, Peter." The Senator said. "Let's go. Come with me."
The subject was still looking at Annie.
"I'm sorry if I scared you." He said softly. "I didn't want to hurt you, I just. I wanted it to be over."
He looked at the Senator.
"I guess I can't do anything right, huh Nate?"
"Come on, Pete. Enough theatrics."
"Remember when I jumped off that building, Nate?" The subject said as Annie and her unit tightened their circle around him warily.
"Yeah, Peter. I remember."
"You caught me."
"I carried you down." The Senator said quickly.
The subject smiled his perpetually crooked smile.
"Yeah, yeah. I remember now. You 'carried me down'. I really wish you hadn't."
Suddenly, Annie felt a pulling sensation on her leg that almost toppled her to the ground. She watched in horror as her side arm flew through the air to the subject. It seemed to hover magically in the air and in seconds was suspended behind the subject, the muzzle pressed firmly against the back of his head.
"Peter!" The Senator called, his voice had finally lost its steely calm. He sounded terrified.
"It's your turn to watch me die, Nathan." The subject said quietly. "Let's see how you like it."
Then the pistol fired. It was a loud sound that somehow sounded hollow and flat in the large warehouse.
Annie watched the body fall. The Senator screamed and ran forward cradling the subject. He grabbed the head and seemed to be trying to hold the pieces together while he screamed, "Heal! Peter! You can do it! Heal!"
Carl approached her. He asked her something but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the brothers and the pool of blood.
"Hey! Cimichouski!" Carl yelled. "I said, Are you okay?"
"Yes, sir." Annie said at last. "Yes, sir. Didn't harm a hair on my head, sir."
The Senator had finally stilled. He took off his jacket and placed it over what was left of his brother's head.
He sat for a very long time on the ground next to the body, holding his own head in his blood stained hands.
By the time he stood, the team had stowed their gear and a coroner was waiting to transport the body.
The Senator started walking shakily toward a waiting car.
Annie approached him. "Sir?"
The Senator looked at her as though he didn't see her. "Yes?"
"Sir, I'd like to request a transfer back to my unit. I hoped you might expedite it, sir."
The Senator seemed to focus on her then.
"He wouldn't have hurt you." He said softly.
Annie nodded. "Permission to speak freely, sir?" She said curtly.
The Senator nodded.
"I know he wouldn't have hurt me, sir. That's why I want the transfer. Because, he was right and you're wrong." Annie said with conviction, then added. "Sir."
Annie hadn't thought the Senator's face could possibly grow paler but now it seemed almost blue.
There was a long pause and then he said, "I'll arrange for your transfer."
Annie nodded her thanks and watched him step into his car. She turned back and watched as the coroners zipped the body bag closed over the subject's broken features.
"I'm sorry, Peter." She said softly. "I didn't want to hurt you either."