Resurrection by SLynn

Summary: It wasn't their destiny to stop an explosion. It was their destiny to stop him. Sequel to 'Apocalypse'.

Spoilers: Up to 'Fallout'

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing and will return them all when I'm done, virtually untouched.

Chapter 10: Listen

"Are you okay?"

Peter looked up and managed a small "yes" to Claire, still unable to entirely rid himself of the eerie sensation that had overcome him listening to all of those voices simultaneously.

"I just need a minute or two," Peter finished.

Claire stood beside him waiting patiently.

Finally Peter sat down and exhaled softly.

"What was it?" Claire asked him, sitting beside him. "What was it like?"

"Intense," Peter said giving his head a shake. "Whatever Micah did, however he did it, there was no controlling it. No stopping… I heard everyone. Everyone in that room all at once. As clear as you're talking to me right now, just louder. Much…"

Peter still couldn't get past it.

"That can't be what it's like all the time," Peter said looking to Claire for confirmation. "I mean, for Matt when he can… when he could use his power, right? I know there was feedback the first few times I mimicked him, but nothing… it was nothing like that."

"He's had problems with it before," Claire said hesitantly, not really sure if this fell under the category of private or not. Claire didn't want to knowingly betray Matt's trust in her, but thought that since it was affecting Peter as well, he must have the right to know some of it. "When he first started hearing it and a few times when it evolved, but I don't think it was like that. Not that bad."

"Problems how?" Peter asked.

"I'm not sure I should… it's really not…"

"No," Peter said quickly, "I understand. I don't expect you to tell me his life story, I just thought…"

Peter trailed off, not knowing how to finish.

"It's nothing bad," Claire assured him, "it's just, it took him a long time to really get some control over it. We all did."

"I don't think you did," Peter said with a smile.

"Well, okay," Claire admitted, "but what I can do isn't something that needs controlling. What you do, what Matt does… both of you had to learn how to stop it. Everyone else had to learn how to start."

"You've been giving this a lot of thought," Peter said with a smile.

"Yes," she smiled back at him. "I have. And you know, neither of you would have the powers you do if you couldn't control them. I know you're still struggling with it, but you can do it."

"Thanks," Peter returned. "I am struggling but it's getting easier. You know, I think that's why I was so surprised. I had thought I'd gotten the hang of shutting it on and off and then back there, I wasn't ready for that."

"If it was as strong as you said it was I'm not surprised," Claire reasoned. "And you weren't expecting that, you weren't ready."

Peter nodded.

"Feeling better?" Claire asked.

"Yeah," Peter answered. "I am."

They sat together, enjoying the silence of the night for a moment.

"You should tell him that," Peter finally said.

"Matt?" Claire said surprised before shaking his head. "No, he wouldn't listen. He's not ready to listen. Besides, he just stopped being mad at me, I don't want…"

"He'll listen to you," Peter interrupted.

"I'm not so sure," Claire said, looking at her hands.

"Why not?"

"Because part of me thinks he's right."

"You think he's right to just give up like that?"

"No," Claire said quickly, "but I know why he wants to. Part of me gets that. I know none of us asked to be this way, but some of us really wanted it. Matt didn't and neither did I. And if someone told me they could make it go away, well… I'd at least consider it."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Claire said honestly. "I know what I do is instinctive, that my body just heals on it's own without any real effort on my part, but sometimes I don't… It's like, I have all these questions about it and no one can answer them. Like, how far does it go? When does it stop? It's progressed to the point where not only do I heal but I can hardly be hurt in the first place. What does that mean? It's… it's a little scary. When does it stop being a gift, an obligation, and start becoming a curse?"

"I never thought about it like that."

"To be fair," Claire said lightly, "you did have that whole three years off."

Peter let out a low chuckle.

"So why did you come down so hard on him?" Peter asked. "If you can understand his point, why not just reason with him?"

"Because I was angry," Claire answered, "and I don't always think before I speak. And mostly because, even if we question it, even if we doubt, we can't really deny that it's a part of who we are. That, like it or not, we were meant to have these powers. We were meant to do something with them."

Peter gave her a wide smile.

"What?" she asked with a slight giggle.

"You make a lot of sense, you know that?"

"I was wondering how long it would take you to realize that."

Drip.

'…it's so close…'

Drip.

'…destiny…'

Drip.

'…please help…'

…

Peter woke with a start once more, but not from the dream. He woke from the sound of someone banging on his door.

"What is it?" Peter asked as he opened it.

"You've got a call on the radio," D.L. said.

"Call?" Peter asked, still yawning.

"It's Niki."

"What does she…"

"She wants to talk to you," D.L. interrupted.

"Alright," Peter said, stretching and reaching for a sweatshirt. "I hope it's good news."

"I wouldn't count on that," D.L. returned.

A few minutes later they were making their way through the Market towards the radio room. Passing through the center of the building both men stopped as they spotted Matt sitting alone at one of the tables.

"Hey," Peter called out, "Matt. Everything okay?"

Matt looked up, startled out of his thoughts, and nodded.

"Yeah," he said, standing and walking towards them, "I couldn't sleep. I mean, I've been sleeping for days. Whatever it is I'm coming out of it, I think."

Peter nodded slowly, not entirely understanding what he'd meant.

"What's with the jacket?" he asked.

"I don't know," Matt returned. "I'm just cold. All the time now. I…"

Matt trailed off uncharacteristically, seemingly content staring off into nothing.

"Peter," D.L. said quietly, "we're in a hurry here."

"Matt," Peter said, legitimately concerned, "why don't you come with us?"

Matt hesitated for a moment before agreeing. If he hadn't, Peter would have asked D.L. to stay with him. He didn't like the way Matt was acting at the moment.

They made their way quickly down the corridor where D.L. opened the door to the radio room and Peter went straight to the only one lit up at the moment.

"Niki?" he asked into it.

"Peter, good," he heard come across the line. "Are you alone?"

"No it's me, D.L. and Matt. Why?"

"Matt?" she asked sounding surprised.

"Yeah, he and Audrey…"

"Tell me later," she said, the connection growing weaker. "We've been to the outpost."

"And? Is everything okay?"

"They're dead," she answered.

"Can you repeat that?" Peter asked, certain he hadn't heard correctly.

"Dead, Peter," Niki repeated. "All of them."

"How?" he asked, his voice gone cold. "Was it them? Was it the Order that did this?"

"No. It wasn't…"

"Niki you're breaking up," Peter said. "Who was it? Where are you?"

"We're on our way back. We'll be there tonight. You need to start getting everyone ready. Start preparing…"

"Ready for what?" Peter asked. "If it's not the Order then…"

"It's Sylar."

Peter looked first at D.L. and then at Matt; each man wore the same shocked expression.

"Can you repeat that?"

"Sylar, Peter," Niki said. "It's Sylar."

"Alright," Peter said into the radio. "We'll… we'll take care of it. Hurry back."

"Out," Niki said just before the connection died.

Peter turned back to the other two men and didn't know what to say.

"I am awake, right?" Matt asked, looking from one to the other quite earnestly. "I mean, really? This isn't some massive hallucination or…"

"Is she serious?" D.L. asked in disbelief. "She was, wasn't she? Niki thinks Sylar…"

"We've got to… to do something," Peter said somewhat uselessly.

"Well, yeah," D.L. said.

"What though?" Peter asked. "What… what does she expect us to do?"

"Get ready," D.L. answered. "If Sylar is headed this way then we've got to be ready for him."

"If he's headed this way he could be here any minute now," Peter fired back. "That outpost is only a day away. If Niki and Franco made it there already…"

"He might not know where we are," D.L. said. "Matt and Audrey knew we were in Boston and still didn't find us for some time."

"It didn't take that long," Peter returned. "And he'll know. He'll hone in on us like some kind of sick beacon. Like a lighthouse in a storm. We've got to wake everyone up now…"

"Wake everyone up?" D.L. repeated. "Then what? Tell them the boogeyman is back? Peter, we've got to have a plan first."

"I know," Peter said. "I know that, but what? What are we going to do to him? He's…"

"Guys," Matt said sharply. "Stop. Alright, enough of this."

Peter and D.L. looked at him surprised. Matt looked suddenly alert, like he'd finally woken up and joined them in conversation; in the present.

"First," Matt said decisively, "we need to wake up the rest of your council. Jacobs and Marissa, right? Get them up and involved. Probably Hiro and Maggie too. We don't need a mob thinking this out, just a few people. That's seven; that should be enough. Whatever needs to be done needs to happen quickly. Anyone with a power is in danger right now and… and let's be honest, we know he's after Claire. He'll take any power he can get but he has a thing for her, and for you too, Peter. I'm not sure that either of you…"

"We'll work out logistics later," Peter said with a short nod.

"I'll go get Hiro and Maggie," D.L. said in agreement, already heading for the door.

"I'll wake up Marissa and Jacobs," Peter said, beginning to move for the door as well.

Matt just nodded, taking a deep breath and looking down briefly.

"Matt," Peter said from the doorway.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

It took twenty minutes for the group to gather, go over the situation and dissolve into absolute silence.

"Dear God," Jacobs whispered.

"We'll need to get everyone to City Hall," Marissa suggested. "It's the only building large enough, secure enough to house the colony and possibly stave off an attack."

"You realize that he won't be interested in anyone without an ability," Jacobs said. "If you think it's best, we…"

"We do this together or not at all," Marissa said firmly.

Jacobs only nodded in silent agreement.

"What's our weapon situation?" he said, turning to Maggie.

"Good," she said with a nod. "Very good. We can place our best marksmen on the roof and hope…"

She stopped and shook her head. Maggie, like the rest of them, knew that guns were pretty much pointless in this situation. They didn't seem to affect him at all.

"We'll need provisions," Jacobs continued. "We'll need to start moving as much of the food and water as we can immediately."

"I'll organize it," D.L. offered.

"We should send out scouts," Hiro suggested. "Just to be certain. To see if he's really coming this way."

"I've got that covered," Peter said quickly.

"Peter," Jacobs said, "we can't afford…"

"Don't worry," Peter assured him. "I'll be here."

"Alright," the older man said, content with that answer. "What else?"

"We can start moving people at daybreak," Maggie said. "D.L., we'll need Micah to make sure everything is running. Will that be a problem?"

"No," D.L. answered.

"Okay then," Jacobs said. "Maggie you've got security, D.L. you've got provisions and the rest of us will lead the actual move."

"When will that be?" Peter asked.

"Not until we've got power and at least minimum provisions in place," Jacobs answered. "Until then I want everyone to stay put. Stay on the offense."

"What about the other people in the area?" Hiro asked. "The township in Salem. The colony north of us. Shouldn't we try and warn them?"

"There isn't time," Jacobs said.

"I have all the time in the world," Hiro countered. "Lauren and I could go and be back in a few hours."

It was then that Peter, Jacobs and Marissa all looked to one another concerned.

Peter knew now was not the time to bring it up, but if Lauren really was a spy for Primatech, sending her off with Hiro could be seen both ways; good and bad. Good, because she wouldn't have the chance to notify anyone of what was happening. Bad, because she'd have to be told where they were going and why and she might make plans to simply flee before they had a chance to question her.

Matt, the only other person in the room that knew why they were hesitating, said nothing.

"There might be a situation," Jacobs began hesitantly, "with Lauren."

"What?" Hiro asked in surprise.

Jacobs looked at Matt and nodded, indicating for him to tell them the truth.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Jacobs only nodded.

Matt wasn't sure why he'd hesitated, he knew Jacobs was serious, but he was wary. He realized it was an old habit, that before speaking Matt had grown accustomed to hearing the thoughts of others, hearing their reactions, and now he couldn't.

And now he probably needed to the most.

There were two people in the room he didn't know and therefore didn't trust. And of those two, one he was certain hadn't yet learned he'd been in Texas.

Matt would have liked to have heard that reaction.

"Okay," he said heavily, "I'll give you the short version because I think most of you already know the long one. Audrey and I were in Texas looking into Primatech and we… she came across some evidence that Primatech has someone here. That they have someone here looking into us, what we can do and how, and that they are eventually planning to come pick us all up."

For a moment there was silence and the only thing Matt could do was read the shocked expressions off of the three faces he'd expected to react that way.

"What does that…" Hiro started to ask, but stopped mid-sentence and shook his head.

"You think it's Lauren?" Maggie picked up, surprised as well.

"We're not sure," Peter admitted. "We know that Beatrice and Albert were working with them before and it's likely that they sent someone new…"

"No," Hiro said quickly. "It's not her. I know it's not her."

"Hiro," Jacobs said, "no one is accusing her. We just need to be careful who…"

"But it isn't her," Hiro said firmly. "Lauren didn't come to the colony, we came to her. She was here when we arrived. In the city. How could they have known that? Known where we would settle?"

Peter hadn't thought of that; from the looks of it, neither had Marissa. Only Jacobs didn't look persuaded by the argument.

"Boston was the backup plan," he said. "Beatrice, Albert, Daniel - they always intended to move if things got bad. Isn't that right, Maggie?"

Maggie only nodded.

"We always knew that there was the possibility of the Order coming after us," Jacobs continued. "When they did, we had planned to come here. So yes, they could have known."

"But why bother spying?" D.L. asked. "If they've known where we are all this time, why not just come themselves?"

"They don't have the resources to take us all in," Matt answered. "They can only contain, physically contain, a few of us at a time."

"I still don't believe it is Lauren," Hiro said after a brief pause. "She is my friend and I don't believe that she would do this."

"You still want to take her with you?" Marissa asked. "Even with the possibility that she might…"

"Yes," Hiro said resolutely. "I'll still ask her to come."

"Okay," Peter said before anyone else had the chance. "Just be careful. And hurry back."

Hiro nodded briefly before standing.

"We'll go within the hour," he said, "and we'll be back before noon."

"Good luck," D.L. said quietly.

"Yeah," Peter echoed. "Good luck."

Hiro gave them all one last look before turning to go.

"I think we all know what to do," Jacobs said, standing as well.

As everyone got to their feet, Matt approached Peter.

"What can I do?" he asked. "How can I help?"

"Right now," Peter said, shaking his head, "I'm not sure. Help D.L., help Maggie. We're going to need to move the radios, but I imagine Micah will want to do that himself."

"Okay," Matt said with a short nod, "what about the scouts? What do you have in mind?"

"I'm going to ask Nathan."

Matt reacted about as well as Peter had expected him too, his face going completely blank.

"Are you…"

"He can fly," Peter interrupted. "He can fly, he can check out the area quicker than anyone else, and he wants to help."

Matt said nothing.

"I know how you feel about him," Peter began tentatively, "but he is still my brother and a year and a half is a long time. Nathan really regrets…"

"Don't," Matt said shortly. "Just, don't alright? I don't want to hear about how bad he feels. If you think he's right for this than I'm not going to argue with you."

"Okay."

Matt gave him one last nod before turning to go.

Peter thought momentarily about stopping him but didn't know what to say if he did. He knew Matt probably needed to hear everything Claire had told him earlier, but that wasn't Peter's place.

Peter just had to hope that when Claire did find the time to talk to Matt again that this time he'd listen.