Revelations by SLynn
Summary: In the end is the beginning. Sequel to 'Resurrection'.
Spoilers: AU after 'Fallout'
Rating: PG-13

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

Chapter 25: Plans

The first thing to be done was to check on Stephanie. Not one of them believed she'd survived her encounter with Sylar, but Peter wouldn't feel right if he didn't at least see for himself. It didn't take much more than a glance to confirm the worst, but he couldn't just stop there. Feeling it was necessary, since they couldn't remove her body, he covered her instead. By the time he'd returned to the hallway he'd discovered that Hiro and Lauren had removed Hahn and Linderman from the scene; Sylar they left where he'd fallen. It was time to go.

They stopped long enough to raid the armory. It wasn't a huge room, but it certainly had plenty of weapons to choose from; weapons like they'd never seen before, but ones that were certain to come in handy.

"We should hurry," said Hiro. "D.L. and Micah will be wondering where we are. I told them I'd be right back."

Peter nodded, still not able to look either of them in the eyes.

"You did the right thing," Hiro finally said, after a long pause.

"I know," Peter whispered, more to himself than to either of them.

Lauren looked very much like she wanted to say something but, as usual, stopped herself. It didn't feel like it was her place, even if she was only agreeing.

"Come on," Hiro urged, and each felt that familiar lurch of time being stopped. "It's not far."

None of them spoke on the walk back to the control tower. Hiro led the way, followed by Lauren, with Peter walking just behind them both, as if still on alert.

Peter was trying to use the time to plan, but his thoughts kept drifting back to what he'd just done.

"Why'd you come in?"

Peter lifted up his head, eager to hear Hiro's response to Lauren's question as well.

"After us? Not to sound ungrateful," Lauren added quickly. "But this wasn't what we'd planned."

"We got worried," Hiro answered, only looking back briefly. "We got worried and we weren't going to leave you in there, no matter what you thought we should do. Either of you."

Lauren nodded slightly and said no more.

It wasn't a long walk, but along the way Peter and Lauren both got a first hand look at the panic that had become Primatech. Everything was in disorder. Posts they knew to be manned twenty-four hours a day were left abandoned. It seemed as if the people who had been blindly following orders for so long sensed a change taking place. Maybe they had only been held so long out of fear, or maybe they feared the retribution to come. Either way, it was a relief. None of them had been looking forward to the probability of fighting their way out. Not again.

Hiro lead them up several flights of steps inside a guard tower before pausing outside the door.

"Maybe I should knock first," he pondered, taking a peek back at the other two with him. They didn't look great and Hiro didn't want to startle them.

"Yeah," Peter agreed.

Hiro nodded, restarted time, and tapped quickly on the door.

After a pause, the door slowly creaked open and D.L., first confused, and then elated, ushered them inside.

"We were starting to wonder," he said, obviously relieved.

Micah hopped out of his chair, beginning to rush forward; halting in his tracks as he took in Lauren and Peter's appearances.

"Are you okay?"

Lauren looked first to Hiro, and then to Peter, before nodding her head, uncertain why he'd asked.

"But your face," Micah countered. "Lauren, you're covered…"

"Oh," she started, wiping at it frantically with her hands. After the shock of the moment with Sylar had passed, she'd forgotten. "It's fine. I'm not hurt… I'm…"

"Here," D.L. said, offering her his jacket to help with the mess.

"But you're still…" Micah persisted.

"The procedure," Peter answered, turning and looking at her again. "They prod the brain somehow; look at what we can do. They also put in an inhibitor."

"In both of you?" D.L. asked, knowing it would be up to him to get it out again.

"Just Lauren," Peter said.

"Whenever you want it out, Lauren, just let me know," D.L. said.

"Or," Micah added, "I can kill their servers and systems. I mean, I should anyway. There might be no reason to take it out."

"I'd rather you did," Lauren said with a short nod. "Just maybe… not now. Later?"

D.L. smiled and nodded in reply.

"We shouldn't stay here long," Hiro urged. "The organization may be dead, but there might still be some left with some fight in them."

"Is there somewhere nearby we can go to?" Peter asked, looking out the windows uncertainly. It seemed like the last time he'd seen the sky, or had so much freedom, was so long ago.

"We've got a place," D.L. answered. "It's a good walk away, but it won't take long if we hurry."

"Good," Peter said, unconsciously taking control. "Micah, kill everything you can. Mainframes, generators, servers, backups. If you can talk to it, kill it."

Micah nodded, quickly taking a seat again and setting to work.

"We'll take tonight," Peter continued, "and rest, fix a plan, and then as soon as we can we have to get to D.C."

"What about Primatech?" D.L. asked. "Is it… Are we done here?"

"It's taken care of," Hiro answered.

"Micah destroying the files should be enough," Peter added. "It's the best we can do."

"What about all these people?" Lauren asked somewhat distressed by the idea. "What's going to happen to all the people left in the Republic?"

In the background the room grew quiet as Micah stopped typing in an effort to hear the response.

"You mean all these people who haven't done a thing to help us?" D.L. returned. "Who sat back and watched this happen?"

"I know," Lauren reasoned. "I know they don't… They never actually did anything to us, but they never tried to stop it. But isn't it wrong… They'll be okay, won't they?"

"They'll be fine," Peter kindly reassured her, but not entirely positive that was the case.

"Life will likely go on as before," Hiro added with more confidence. "Many people here have no contact with Primatech. They'll survive. They'll adapt."

Lauren nodded in agreement as Micah returned to work, both of their feelings slightly relieved.

"Almost done?" Peter asked, turning to Micah.

"Another minute or two."

"Good," Peter said.

"But, Peter," Micah said, still working as he talked. "Are you sure there's nothing you want saved? I saw a list that might be useful when I first accessed the records. I think it was the list. It hasn't popped up again, but…" Micah trailed off, shaking his head. The information had vanished. He'd been on the lookout for it since, but had not seen it again.

"Don't worry about it," Peter interrupted, "I've got it… taken care of."

"Okay," Micah said, sounding skeptical. "I'm finished. I've got the generators on a ten minute delay to overload. That should give us enough time to get out of here."

"More than enough," Hiro said, stopping time and allowing them an easy getaway.

The walk back to their hideout, much like the walk out of the subfloors of Primatech, was silent. Relief and fatigue set in equally, exhausting everyone past the point of speaking.

It wasn't until much later that night, after D.L. had removed the inhibitor from Lauren, and Peter had done his best to heal her up, that they even began to discuss the ordeal at all.

Peter related everything he felt they needed to know about Primatech, his stay there, and what he thought they had been up to. He purposely omitted the new information he'd learned about Nathan and Claire, wanting first to talk to them about it; hoping he'd have that chance. He was confident that, if given the opportunity, they'd be able to break them all out of the Order. The Order, after all, couldn't be any more secure than Primatech had been, and they'd succeeded here. His only fear now was that they'd be too late. There were times when Linderman had strongly suggested as much, and Peter had gotten enough of a look inside Jenny Yi's head to feel uneasy.

"Okay," D.L. said, breaking after a long pause in the story. "I think I get what's happened here. The experiments, the problems, why they'd keep you and Sylar. That, I understand. What I don't get is why Yi, who we can all admit isn't dumb, would take Mohinder. I know he's a genetic whizz and all, but still. Nathan and Claire she could bargain with. Matt she's probably using same as before. But why Mohinder? He studied genetics, he didn't manipulate them. What good does he do her?"

Peter saw Lauren's eyes dart quickly in his direction.

"She knew Primatech was going to release a plague," Hiro offered, not noticing the silent exchange. "With Claire as the cure, maybe she thought he could at least try to help her. Taking him with the others, two who would not be immune, would only add to her case. We know Mohinder would try and help them, even if he wouldn't want to help her."

"How would she control them, though? The rest of them?" Micah asked.

"Inhibitors," D.L. answered. "Same as Primatech. That and fear. Abuse. She's good at it."

"Did Primatech give them to her as well?" Hiro asked. "Or did she have them created for herself?"

"The Order had them back in Boston. If she made them on her own, without Primatech, it just shows she has people that can help her already," D.L. replied. "Again, why Mohinder?"

"These are questions we'll never be able to answer," Hiro said. "There's no explaining the things she does."

"But there is," D.L. argued. "She's always got a reason and a plan. I think we need to consider why she them before we rush in there. We need to know what she's up to. As near as we can, we need to know her plan and her part in this."

"And we won't know that until we get there," Hiro countered.

"Mohinder's been studying this, what we do, for a long time," Micah provided. "Maybe she wanted to know more about it. She'd have his files, all the surveillance the Order put on him from before we went to the colony. She even got inside his head once. She might have just thought he could be useful."

"I'm sure he could," D.L. said. "I know he is…"

"What is it exactly you're worried about?" Hiro asked, trying not to sound impatient.

"I don't know," D.L. admitted. "Anything and everything. I know we need to hurry, to get there and get them out again, as quick as possible, but I don't want to run into a trap. We've already lost…" D.L. stopped and sighed, lowering his head before finishing. "I just want us to think about what to expect. To try and be prepared."

"You're right," Peter agreed in a near whisper. "We do need to be prepared. Linderman hasn't said much about the Order, or Yi, but I think… I think he was afraid of what she'd do. It's the same as before. He put her into power, in a way made her, and then he couldn't control her. It's why he tried to take out Nathan. It's why he replaced him. Linderman knew she'd betrayed him, but he was still willing to negotiate with her, because he was out of options."

Peter stood up and began pacing. No one else spoke, only watched his quick progress around the room.

"I don't know what she's up to," Peter finally said. "I don't know what we'll be going to and I don't know if…" He paused a moment to clear an unexpected hitch in his throat. "I don't know if there is even anyone left to go to. I just know that it's what we have to do."

"Peter," D.L. said, standing to meet him eye to eye. "I'm not questioning that. All of us know what needs to be done."

"I know," Peter said with half a smile, clasping the other man's arm, faltering only when he saw Lauren's eyes on him once more.

"We'll go with you whenever you want. However you want."

"Good," Peter replied, sounding uneasy now. Hearing now Lauren's thoughts on the subject and knowing it was no good keeping quiet any longer. "But there is something… there is something we saw that might explain why, maybe even what Yi is doing with Mohinder."

No one said anything, but Lauren offered up a quick smile and visibly relaxed.

"It's just a guess," he said. "She could have him working on a cure. She could have him working on research. Like I said, I don't know, but she could also be attempting her own experiments."

"Experiments?" Micah asked. "Like what?"

"Like the kind they did here," he answered. "Tracking. Modifying. Triggering."

"Triggering who?" Hiro asked. "Does she have a copy of the list?"

"Do you think she's tracking down people and looking for new powers?" D.L. asked.

"If she has the list then she doesn't need to track anyone down," Peter answered. "Mohinder is on it."

There was a general outcry at this, and considerable confusion.

"That's just not possible," D.L. finally said, still shaking his head.

"We saw him there," Peter said. "Lauren and I both did. The list…"

"But he's never shown a power."

"Does he know?"

"Probably not," Peter cut back in. "Not if Yi doesn't. He was only on the potential list. His father had the gene, which made him more likely, but…"

"His sister," Micah said with a nod. "His sister, she did. She'd evolved…"

"But why didn't he?" D.L. questioned.

"Maybe he just never needed to," Micah returned.

"Or wanted to," Lauren added softly.

"It's not important why," Peter finally decided. "If she's found a way to trigger or copy his potential… but we're way off track here. It's only something to be aware of. It's a possibility. Any thing could be going on, which is why we need to get there. Now."

Peter had stopped abruptly, eyes fixed on Hiro.

"No."

"Hiro," Peter reasoned. "It's the only way --"

"It's not the only way," Hiro argued.

"It's the fastest way," Peter countered.

"Not necessarily. Not if I can't… Peter, you can't be serious. There's a reason I don't jump unless I have to. I can't control it. I can't control time over such a distance."

"But you've tried," Peter persisted, determined to carry his point.

"Yes," he agreed. "I have. And I've failed."

"You won't this time. It's not far."

"Which is why we should just travel…"

"It needs to be now," Peter interrupted. "I can't… I don't know why, but we need to go. Right now."

"I've never taken so many people…"

"I can help."

"We could lose months, Peter," Hiro tried, his last objection to the plan. "We could lose years."

"We won't."

Hiro turned from the group to consider it for a moment. Still a believer in destiny, Hiro was swayed. If Peter felt this strongly about it, maybe it was the right move; the correct approach. But what if it wasn't?

"I've never moved laterally in time," Hiro finally said. "I've never… Peter, it's always pulled back. Do you understand? We could get there and be pulled back to this point in time. If the jump isn't done correctly..."

"It will be," Peter said. "I wouldn't risk this. I wouldn't even want to try if I didn't think it would work. You can do this. It's what you're meant to do."

Hiro nodded briskly, acceptingly.

"When do you want to go?"