Apocalypse by SLynn

Summary: Three years have passed since the explosion and life has drastically changed for everyone. This isn't the world they imagined they'd be saving.

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: Payback

Niki had driven through the heart of the city twice without success; Trenton was a ghost town.

That morning they had all split up after finding two new cars to continue on in. D.L., Hiro and Ando were heading to the coast, towards the detention center where Matt and Claire were supposedly being held. She and Micah had continued heading north in search of the colony. Micah had rigged a cell phone for the three men as well to use when they found something. Niki personally believed it wasn't necessary.

They weren't going to find them, and if they did, they weren't going to be alive.

"Now what?" she sighed in exhaustion, giving up and pulling the car over after another fruitless pass down another empty street.

"Maybe we should look around," Micah suggested. "They probably aren't out in the open. They're probably hidden."

"If they're here at all," Niki said under breath, but undid her safety belt just the same and stepped out of the car.

With Micah beside her they walked around the center of the city for nearly half an hour.

Still, nothing.

"We should have known," Niki said as they made their way back to the car. "We should have known from the moment we hit that roadblock."

"Known what?"

"That she set us up," Niki answered. "Audrey set us up. There's no colony here. She wanted us to head north, right into that trap."

"Matt would have known," Micah argued.

"He didn't know about Simone," Niki argued, but this time not unkindly. "People make mistakes, sometimes they just can't see… We all have our blind spots. I'm not blaming him, but we never should have trusted her in the first place."

"I like Audrey."

Niki looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and surprise.

"She reminds me of you."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Micah answered. "She's strong, she doesn't like relying on anyone else and she's not afraid of saying what's on her mind."

Niki was struck.

"I think that's why the two of you don't get along."

"I hardly know her."

"Only because you…"

Niki 'shushed' him mid-sentence having spotted someone moving up the street.

"Stay here," she told him as she took a handgun out of the glove compartment and exited the vehicle.

There was a short rap on the door.

"Come in."

"Sir," the man said hesitantly, even before he was completely inside the room, "I've got an update for you."

"Make it quick," Nathan Petrelli said as he stood up from behind his desk, a rare smile on his face. "My wife and I are about to have dinner."

The man turned and gave a brief smile to Heidi Petrelli, before returning his attention back nervously to his boss.

"We're going to celebrate the good news, Sullivan," Nathan continued, still smiling. Heidi didn't look nearly as pleased.

"That's what I needed to talk to you about."

Nathan's demeanor changed instantly.

"What is it?"

"It seems," Sullivan stammered, "that we may have been premature…"

"You were the one that told me that Parkman had been caught," Nathan interrupted.

"Yes, sir."

"You were the one that briefed me that we had him, secured, in a facility in New Jersey and ready for transfer immediately."

"Yes, sir."

"So, why were you wrong?"

"We did have him, sir," Sullivan explained. "But by the time we identified him and relayed the orders back up to the detention center, he along with several other inmates had already escaped."

"Escaped?" Nathan asked. "What did he do, think himself out?"

"No, we think…"

"I don't care what you think," Nathan interrupted harshly. "I want solid facts. What do you know? Hell, are you even sure it was Parkman?"

"Yes, we do. We have his photo here," Sullivan answered, handing it to Nathan in a hurry.

Nathan took it and gave it a once over, nodding in agreement. He knew the man well enough.

"And we think…." Sullivan paused at Nathan's glare before continuing again. "We're reasonable sure that the woman with him was Claire Bennet."

Nathan took the second photo and once more nodded. It was her, a little older than he'd remembered, a little wiser in the eyes, but still her.

"So," Nathan said in a brisk tone, "you had not one, but both of them in custody and now nothing."

"Sir, to be fair, our men can't…"

"And they won't ever be able to contain the problem if we do not get our hands on that woman," Nathan shot back, for the first time growing loud.

Sullivan looked down, not sure what to say.

"Nathan," Heidi said softly from where she sat.

"I want this fixed," he said, leaning in and speaking in a fierce but quiet voice. "I want this fixed now. I want Parkman and Bennet brought back here at any cost. I don't want any more excuses. I want action and I want this all now. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good," Nathan said, stepping back and letting the man leave the room.

"Why are you doing this?" Heidi asked as soon as they were alone again.

"You know why we need her," Nathan returned.

"Yes," Heidi admitted, "but why him too? Why not just let it go? There's nothing…"

"He killed my brother."

"Nathan, you know…"

"All of them," he continued. "They filled his head with these delusions of grandeur and they sent him off to face that thing alone."

"Peter only did what he thought was right," Heidi said forcefully. "You know how your brother was."

"Someone has to pay."

Niki didn't bother to hide; she just strode down the street as if she owned it. The man she'd caught a glimpse of before was now evidently hiding, but she knew she'd find him soon enough. She didn't like this, not at all, and she was going to get some answers.

Spotting a door slightly ajar in an abandoned shop, Niki marched straight to it and kicked it in.

"Alright," she called out as she scanned the room, "I don't have time for games. Just get out here right now so we can get this over with."

A pair of hands shot up from behind the counter.

"Don't hurt me," a young man's voice said.

"Get up," Niki admonished.

The man obeyed; man being a stretch. He couldn't be but a few years older than Micah. Probably not even out of his teens yet.

"Who are you?"

"Jason," he answered, his voice shaking slightly as he spotted her gun.

"Why were you watching me and my son?"

"I watch everyone that comes in town. It's my job."

"You work for the Order?" Niki asked.

"No."

"But you work for someone, right? Who? And why?"

"I'm part of the colony…"

"What colony?" Niki interrupted. "There's no one here."

"That's my job," he tried explaining. "I stay behind, a couple of us do. We rotate around, waiting for others. There haven't been a lot, so…"

"How many?"

"How many here or…"

"How many of you watch this place?"

"A few. Used to be more, but the militia made a raid a few weeks ago. Now there's just me, Mike and Paul."

"What can you do?"

"Do?" Jason asked. "I can't do nothing. I don't…"

"Don't lie to me."

"No, it's true. I'm not like…"

"If you're not like us then why are you here?"

"Because I don't want to be apart of the Order," Jason answered firmly. "I don't want someone else telling me what to do or where to live."

Niki nodded her head slightly in agreement as finally lowered her weapon.

"So if this isn't where the colony is…"

"I can take you there," Jason finished.

"Did we make a mistake?" Claire asked quietly in the dark.

"Yes," Matt answered.

"Really?" Claire returned in surprise.

"Definitely. Bunk beds were a mistake."

Claire laughed softly.

"You know that's not what I meant," she chided.

"Yeah, I know," he said more seriously. "And no, I don't. I think we can trust them. Jacobs especially. I get a good feeling from him. I think we'll be alright."

"Good," Claire said with a yawn.

"Get some sleep," Matt urged. "We'll probably be up early tomorrow. We still need to find a car."

"Hmm," Claire mumbled, already halfway asleep.

"Goodnight," Matt said quietly.

"Night."

…

"We're not going without you."

"I can hold him off until you can find the others and regroup."

"It's too risky."

"No. I can do it."

"Peter, it's too much…"

"I can do this, Matt. I know I can. Please, I'd rather it was me…"

"I can't let you do this!"

"Trust me! Please. Just trust me."

"Of course I trust you but…"

"Then go. Go. Let me do this. Get Claire out of here."

"Peter…"

"Get her out of here and promise me you'll take care of her. Promise me you'll watch out for her."

"You know I will."

…

"Matt? Matt, wake up. I think there's someone in the house. Wake up, please. Wake up!"

Matt sat up groggily as Claire continued to shake him by the arm.

"There's someone in the house," she whispered in a near panic. "I heard noises downstairs. I think they found us."

"What?" he asked as he got to his feet. "When? When did you hear this?"

"Just now."

"Get your shoes on," he told her. "Quickly. I'm going to go…"

"No," she said vehemently. "Don't go. Don't leave me. I'll go with you."

"I'm just going to wake up Jacobs and the others. They…"

Matt and Claire both froze as they heard boots clomping up the stairs followed by the distinct sound of a door being kicked in, a shrill scream, several shots and then silence.

Both of them stood stock still.

Matt, despite his police training and the fact that he had twice been in an all out gunfight, felt petrified. It was all hopelessness and despair.

The next thing they knew, the door to their room flew open and Matt was certain that was it; it was over.

"Hurry," Jacobs said in an urgent hiss.

They both recovered their senses at roughly the same time, hustling towards the door as Jacobs stood as hidden as he could in the corridor, waiting for the militia men to get close enough.

Matt instinctively blocked Claire as much as possible as they ran out the door and down the end of the hall, away from the men.

"That's them," they heard one man exclaim.

Shots rang through the air, followed again by screams.

But this time the screams were from the militia men. Jacobs had done his job, had super heated the air and sent it blasting down the hallway.

Claire didn't stop running until she was down the backstairs and out into the yard. Matt was only a few feet behind her, Jacobs coming last.

"They'll recoup quick," Jacobs panted as he pointed down an alley. "I couldn't get it hot enough. We need to get out of here."

"Come on," Claire called, leading the way. "One of these houses has to still have a car in it."

They went for several blocks before Claire began to notice that Matt was no longer right beside them, in fact, he had begun to lag a good deal behind.

"Matt?"

"I think," he said, near doubled over and clutching his side. Stopping every few words to take in big, raspy breaths. "I think that you're going… going to have to go on without me."

Their eyes met before Claire looked down at the hand he now held out to show. She didn't want to believe it, but the truth hit her hard. His hand and shirt both bright with blood.

"Oh, God," Jacobs said softly.

"Why didn't you say something?" Claire demanded. "Why…"

"I had to get you out of there," he answered. "I couldn't…"

Matt began to sway causing both Claire and Jacobs to reach out and steady him as best they could, but he couldn't support himself any longer. He was now almost entirely dead weight; there was no choice but to set him on the ground.

"You have to get up," Claire said firmly, ignoring the knot in her stomach. "You have to. It's not much further. Pretty soon, we'll find a car and we'll be on our way to New York. Everyone is going to be there, please. You have to get up."

"Tell them…"

"Tell them yourself," Claire shot back through her tears.

"Tell them," Matt repeated, putting a hand on her cheek and smiling a bit despite the pain, "that I did everything I could. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Claire…"

"Don't talk," Claire said, pressing her hand to where he'd been shot. It was still bleeding. It was still bleeding a lot. "You should save your energy. Isn't that right? Is it? I don't know what to do."

She's spoken the last to Jacobs, her eyes turned to him pleading. He didn't know what to say. Any encouragement would only be false.

"It's going to be okay," Matt said, weaker than before.

Claire felt the blood flow begin to lessen as Matt let out a shaky breath.

"You're going to be fine," she said, resting her forehead to his temple with her arms still around him. She shut her eyes tight because she didn't want to him this way any more. "You are. I know you are…"

"Claire?"

"You have to be. You promised. You promised you'd watch out for me…"

"Claire?"

"I need you to be okay. You're my family. You're all I have left…"

"Claire," Jacobs' voice said more firmly this time, "it's time to go."

She turned and looked up at the older man in confusion before turning back towards Matt.

Claire didn't know how long she'd been there like that, holding on to someone already gone. One last look in his eyes proved it to her, even if she didn't want it to be true.

She hesitated, not sure what she should do, but only for a moment.

With a trembling hand she reached up and gently shut his eyes. Her hand paused briefly above his lips before she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.

"Bye."