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.

Notes: Thanks again for everyone who is reading and reviewing. I realize the last chapter was vague on certain points, and I promise to clear them up. Some. Not entirely, there's no fun in that! Anyway, thanks again!

Chapter 28: Concession

"We've got two days."

"Less than that," Micah corrected his father. "We've got a day and a half. They've scheduled the hangings for noon."

"We'd be pushing it if we don't at least try before tomorrow night," Jacobs said shaking his head. "I just don't see how…"

"We'll think of something," D.L. said with as much confidence as he could.

"Well, I can override any alarms and any electric locks they have in place," Micah said. "And we know they're in this block."

Micah pointed to the screen on his laptop.

"This is the only separate holding area they have," he continued. "And they have three cells in use right now, that's one a piece, so…"

"A guess?" Jacobs asked.

"An educated guess," Micah returned.

The man shrugged; admitting that educated guesses were all they had.

"The problem is," Micah continued, "this is the most heavily guarded section. Even with the alarms off, the electricity off, we'd still be outnumbered in that main hallway."

"No exterior wall's I can burn through, then?" Jacobs' asked half-heartedly. He knew the answer already.

"What about underneath?" Hiro asked. "We know they're on the ground level. What if we come up underneath them? Tunnel to them."

"From here?" Jacobs smiled. "I'm good but that…"

"It wouldn't have to be that far," D.L. interrupted. "That building has a basement, right? A sewer? Anything like that?"

"Hold on," Micah said, rapidly pulling up the information requested.

It took half a second at the most.

"Yeah, it does."

"Good," D.L. said with a short nod. "Find us a way in it. I've got an idea."

"I talked to Claire."

Nathan looked up from his papers, unable to hide his surprise.

"She told me about Peter," Heidi continued.

"She's lying," he replied, returning to what he'd been doing before she'd interrupted him.

"I always liked her," Heidi said, moving closer to her husband. "She was such a sweet girl. I remember thinking I'd never met a more polite…"

"What do you want me to do Heidi?"

"I want you to remember who you are," she answered bitterly. "That man you were. The one I married."

"That man is gone," Nathan said quietly.

"I don't believe that."

"You should."

For a moment neither of them spoke, the tension in the room thick.

"Do you even care anymore what they are setting you up to become? That they've made you a poster boy for all of this? What all of this is leading to?"

"And what is that?" Nathan shot back at her.

"No one on that Board wants to contain the problem, Nathan. They want to eliminate it. That's the next step, you know it is. And they're setting you up to be the fall guy. When it's all said and done, they have… what's that term politicians love so much? Plausible deniability. They have it. It's not their division, it's yours."

Nathan shook his head at her vigorously. He knew she was right, but he wasn't willing to admit it.

He had started with the best of intentions; the road to hell, as they say.

After the destruction of New York, there had been the earthquakes and the floods and so many more disasters to deal with. Every day brought another wave of damage and more stories of men and women who could cause it.

Martial law had been declared and it had been welcomed, but it wasn't enough. No matter what Peter or Hiro or any of them wanted to believe, not everyone was good. Not everyone who had a gift or a power wanted to use it to benefit mankind.

There were plenty of them out there for themselves.

That's when Primatech stepped in for the first time.

Primatech essentially ran the Republic and the Republic essentially stepped in and created the Untied Order. They handpicked who would lead, who would sit on the Board and dictated how things would work.

And Nathan never doubted why he was chosen. That they knew, they knew he was one of them. That he had been involved in the attempt to stop Sylar, to stop the explosion. How they'd failed.

"That's not how it works," he sighed in return to her accusations. "We all work together. Make decisions together. No one person…"

"I know how it really works, but that's not what matters. What matters is how the world sees it. How you'll be judged."

"I've made my peace with it."

"Have you? So you're willing to just take the blame. Why? Is this some kind of atonement for your mistakes? For leaving him behind? For our sons? What is it, Nathan? I can't…"

"Stop it, Heidi."

"No," she said as she'd begun to cry. "You're going to hear me. For once, you're going to hear me."

Nathan nodded slightly and waited for Heidi to gain her composure back.

"You have never been an easy person to love. You've done things… but that doesn't matter. I loved you, no matter what you did. Because I knew you were a good person. That you were capable of doing good things, no, great things. But this is not… this isn't right. You have to know that. I can't believe…"

"I'm doing what has to be done."

"I'm not finished," she said through tightly clenched teeth.

Nathan nodded once more.

"What happened to your family, to our family, isn't your fault."

"They left him to die," he said quietly. "And I left our…"

Nathan let out a breath of air as he rubbed his hand across his forehead.

"I left them too," Heidi said in an equally hushed tone. "I'm just as…"

"I was supposed to protect them. I was supposed to protect him. That was my job. Now my job is to ensure that nothing like that ever happens again. This is the only way."

"You're wrong."

"I might be," Nathan admitted. "It's too late now."

"Don't you think you owe them something?" Heidi asked. "They're as much victims…"

Nathan only shook his head, refusing to answer further.

"What if she's telling the truth about Peter?" Heidi said quietly.

Nathan didn't answer that question, and he couldn't stop asking it either.

Jenny had kept away longer than usual this time. She wanted to keep him guessing, to keep him on edge. She still hadn't gotten the information she needed out of him yet but was certain he was close to giving in now.

The last time she'd left him he'd been in pretty bad shape. It was lucky he didn't have much longer to live; at this rate he'd be lucky to make it even that long.

But that didn't stop her.

That wouldn't stop her from showing back up.

So, when the cell door was opened for her she was surprised. More than surprised, stunned.

Jenny had expected to find Matt where she'd left him, huddled on his cot, but that wasn't the case.

Matt was waiting for her, standing in the middle of the room and actually waiting for her.

"I heard you coming," he said as soon as the door was shut on the two of them.

"How?" she just managed to ask as she took in his appearance; the fact that he no longer had a bruise or cut or scrap on him anywhere that she could see.

"I guess I heal fast," Matt answered.

"That's not possible," she breathed.

"Well, maybe you're imagining things then."

Jenny shook her head and frowned.

'It doesn't matter,' she thought.

"I think you're going to find it does," Matt said.

Jenny didn't answer, cleared her head, and tried to get inside his.

Tried and failed.

"It's not as much fun when I can fight back, is it?" Matt said, sensing her frustration.

"I'm not worried," Jenny said with false confidence.

Matt only smiled.

Jenny tried again, pushing harder this time as she tried to get at his memories for something to use. She couldn't make it work if she didn't connect. She had to have something but he just wasn't budging. Jenny didn't know how he was keeping her out, only that he was.

After three more failed attempts her head was starting to hurt. It was dull ache and Jenny knew that she couldn't keep this up.

"Fine," she practically spat at him. "That's fine. I don't need… There are other people here I can practice on. Other people to ask."

For the split second he dropped his guard, worried who she might mean, and she got the jump on him.

She got an image, but she didn't use it.

Instead she gave him a funny look.

"Why her? Do you…"

'He knows she's here.'

"Who told you?" she asked loudly. "You weren't supposed to know that. How did you find out?"

"I'm not telling you anything."

"You will or I'll go over there right now and…"

"You can't," Matt said, cutting her off. "I know you can't. You're not allowed to. Only me. I'm the only one they'll…"

"They'll let me at your girlfriend."

Matt stopped talking.

"I'll have them drag her into a room and by the time I'm done she'll want to kill you herself."

"She won't…"

"I'll make her believe it."

Matt shook his head, but knew she was right. Jenny would do it. She'd do it or kill Audrey trying.

"What do you want?" Matt asked.

"Tell me how you knew Claire Bennet was here?"

"I read it off one of the guards," Matt lied.

"Who?"

"I don't know his name, they don't…"

"Just like you don't know the name of the man who helped you escape that detention center?" Jenny shot back accusingly. "I don't believe that."

"Alright," Matt relented. "I saw her. I saw them put her in the cell across the hall."

It wasn't a lie. Matt did watch as they'd locked Claire up. Only, it was after she'd been let in to see him.

Jenny seemed satisfied with that answer. Momentarily.

"And?" she asked.

"And what?"

"The name. The name I've been asking for. What is it?"

"I told you I don't…"

"Fine," Jenny said curtly, turning towards the door. "I'll give Audrey your best."

Matt clenched his jaw, hating himself for what he was about to do.

"Henry Jacobs," he said tightly.

Jenny turned back around with a smile on her face.

"What do you know about him?" she asked. "What's he do?"

"I'm not…"

"And I'm not playing," Jenny interrupted.

"I can't tell you much," Matt sighed. "I really don't know him that well."

"That's alright," she assured him. "I'm sure there's plenty we can think of to talk about."