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 33: Instinct
Peter wasn't sure where he was going, he was just following his instincts.
He'd gotten into the building with relative easy and a whole lot of luck, and somehow just knew which turns to make and which hallways to avoid.
It was like he'd been here before.
And well, he probably had. In his dreams. As Nathan.
Stopping just outside a large, oak door, Peter paused and took a deep breath.
The nameplate said 'Nathan Petrelli'.
This was it.
Peter opened the door with some trepidation, not sure what to expect. Still unsure as to why he was here, but knowing that the answer was inside.
The office was large, with a few chairs and a small couch in front part of the room and a large desk at the back. It had just one other exit, one other way out.
And he wasn't alone.
"I wasn't expecting you."
Peter looked at the woman who was sitting behind the desk and that sensation, that feeling of uneasiness that he'd been experiencing all night, intensified.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"It's not important," she said as she stood up.
Peter stared; able to tell even in the dim light that filled the room that the woman was fairly covered in blood.
"I've read a lot about you," she said, moving around the desk; holding a gun. "Peter Petrelli. You're famous. You're also supposed to be dead."
Peter shook his head, something was off. She was doing something to him, trying to do something at least, but it wasn't working the way she wanted it to. It was as if she was…
"I think we can rectify that error," she said.
As she lifted the gun the room felt as if it shifted. Peter saw her change, saw her shift from one image to another. He saw it and responded again with his instincts.
She lowered the gun and momentarily covered her eyes.
"Stop it," she said, clutching the desk for support. "What… this isn't…"
The room stopped swaying for Peter.
Everything quickly righted itself and he felt better, stronger. And he could see now. In his mind he could see pictures, pictures he was pulling out of the woman's head. Images he could use, he could make her see. Family, friends, lovers… it was almost as if they were labeled. Names, ages, feelings; Peter could tell how she felt about each and every one of them. It was incredible.
"Stop it," she yelled at him again, and this time he knew why.
He was shuffling.
Peter was randomly changing and shuffling through people she knew, making her see them all, without fixing on any one specific person. The effect was both frightening and nauseating.
It was what she had tried to do to him.
Peter tried to stop, to control whatever power he had borrowed from her, but it wasn't easy.
Finally, she fought him off.
Peter reeled backwards as she changed. This time it wasn't random flickering images of people he knew or any of the seesaw feelings he had begun to associate with it; just sheer terror.
"Is this it, Peter? Is this what scares you?"
Peter rubbed his eyes in disbelief. It couldn't be real. It couldn't be.
"Popular choice," Claire said. "Is this how you remember her? As a girl? A lot has changed. This isn't how he sees her. Not at all."
It was Claire.
It was Claire, standing in front of him bloodied and in that same red and white cheerleader outfit she'd been in the night Sylar had first attacked. That first night they'd met. All those dreams.
"That was years ago," Peter said quietly. "I know…"
"You may know, but this is what you remember. This is it. Fear of disappointing her. Letting her down. Letting her die."
Peter tried to fight it. Tried hard to think about anything other than the image before him. Could almost separate the two from each other, the real from the fake, but it was so convincing.
"Is that what you were? It is, right? A disappointment. To your father, your mother, your brother."
He shut his eyes tightly and looked down as he tried to close his mind to her. Tried to push her out of his head, but Peter didn't know how. He didn't know how to stop her.
"Her too. All of them. They were counting on you and you let them all down. You let it happen."
She was in his head. He could feel her in there, searching for more information, for more feelings to use and interpret against him.
"Is that why you didn't want to remember?"
Peter's head snapped back up at her in surprise.
It was just them again, the fake Claire gone, and the woman had the gun raised at his head, a small smile on her lips.
"You'll be happier this way," she said as she went to squeeze the trigger.
It was then that the side door opened.
Nathan had arrived.
Both Peter and Jenny turned and looked at him, surprised by his sudden appearance.
"Peter?" Nathan said, not quite trusting his eyes.
The two men locked eyes and knew it was true; that this was real.
Nathan then turned his attention to Jenny. Jenny who had momentarily lowered the gun. Jenny who gave him a wicked smile as she raised it back up again and pulled the trigger.
He had a split second, less even.
Nathan had a literal blink of the eye to react, and he did, flying across the room and putting himself between his brother and that bullet.
"No!" Peter yelled as the bullet caught Nathan square in the chest sending him falling back into his arms.
Peter slumped to the floor with his brother still in his grasp.
"Two Petrelli's for the price of one," Jenny said stepping closer to finish the job.
She stopped, once more interrupted. The main door opened and Matt, D.L. and Claire rushed into the room, drawn by the sound of gunfire.
This time Jenny didn't hesitate, she just fired off three rapid shots at the new arrivals.
D.L. grabbed Matt and Claire by the shoulders in the nick of time causing the bullets to sail right through and hit the wall behind them.
For the first time, Jenny looked panicked.
"This isn't over," she said, gun raised as she backed up towards the door Nathan had entered on the opposite side of the room.
"Let her go," D.L. said as Matt had begun to pull away from him to follow her.
"Listen to him," Jenny said, hand on the door and ready to make her escape. "That's good advice."
'Next time we meet…' Matt sent out to her.
Jenny paused and smiled.
"I look forward to it."
That quick and she was gone.
D.L. and Matt turned their attention back towards Peter and Nathan, Claire already at their side.
"Is he…" D.L. began to ask.
Peter only shook his head.
Nathan hadn't moved; he was unconscious but still appeared to be breathing, albeit labored.
"He didn't have to do it," Peter finally said, choking back a sob. "He didn't… I could have made it… It wouldn't have hurt me…"
"Peter," D.L. said quietly, kneeling down, "we have to go. There's nothing you can do for him. That woman…"
D.L. stopped talking as alarms began to sound.
"Now, Peter," D.L. urged. "Now. We have to go."
"I'm not leaving my brother," he said firmly. "He's not…"
"He's not going to make it," D.L. tried to reason.
Claire and Matt remained completely silent, watching the exchange.
She turned to him, caught his gaze.
'I could do it. I could…'
'Don't.'
Claire gave him a startled look in return.
'After all he's done you're really…'
She didn't let him finish.
"Move aside," she said to D.L., taking his spot beside Peter and Nathan. "I can't guarantee it will work, but I can try."
"Try what?" D.L. asked.
Matt just shook his head and turned away, crossing the room and checking the door Jenny had exited. Locking it and beginning to build a small barricade against the door using a few of the chairs.
"What are you doing?" Peter asked her as well.
"Trust me," was all she said as she shut her eyes and put her hands against Nathan's chest.
'I want him to be alright. I want him to better. I want…'
It didn't work.
Claire sat back and stared at him. Nathan was still alive, barely, but he wasn't getting any better. He wasn't healing the way Matt had when she'd done the same thing. It wasn't working.
'You don't want it,' she heard Matt instruct her. 'You don't really want it so it's not working.'
Claire sighed and knew he was right.
"Please," Peter said to her. "Whatever you're doing, can you try again? Please."
"And hurry," D.L. added quietly.
Claire looked into Peter's eyes, saw how much this meant to him, how much he needed his brother to be alright, and gave him a quick nod.
She shut her eyes, readied herself and started over.
'I want him to be better for Peter. I want Nathan to be alright for Peter. I want him to…'
It took a lot out of her. When Claire leaned back, she swayed on the spot and Matt caught her by the arm just in time.
"Did it work?" she asked, looking up at him.
Matt nodded tightly, helping her to her feet.
Looking down, Claire saw it was true. Nathan was no longer bleeding. He was sitting up again on his own, staring at Claire as if he didn't believe it. As if he didn't believe any of it was real.
"Come on," D.L. said, giving Nathan and Peter a hand up.
"How did you do that?" Nathan asked Claire.
"Later," D.L. said nervously, "we'll all talk later. Right now…"
The door nearest them suddenly flew open.
Sullivan.
"Sir," he said, ignoring everyone that wasn't Nathan, "you've got to get out of here. Now. They're coming for you. All of you."
Nathan nodded in a distracted kind of way, unable to focus. Too much was happening. He felt strange. He didn't really know what to do.
"What's the quickest way out?" D.L. asked, stepping up to take over the group.
No one else seemed capable at the moment.
"Follow me," the young man said.
Sullivan led them all through a series of halls, back doors and eventually out into an enclosed courtyard.
To their great surprise Jacobs was waiting near the fence.
"I sent the rest on," he said, motioning at the hole he had created for their escape. "I thought you might need a little bit of extra help."
"Sir, are you…" Sullivan began to ask, clearly confused.
"Yes," Nathan answered, hesitating only slightly. "I'm going with my brother. What about you?"
"Me?"
"Come with us," Nathan urged.
"But sir, I…"
"And stop calling me, sir," Nathan barked, patting him on the back and practically pushing him through the fence to the other side.
"Yes, sir."
Matt hung back till the end, waiting to go last with Jacobs. Claire had gone through after Peter, but only after giving Matt one or two pleading looks.
"Is that who I think it is?" Jacobs asked softly.
"Peter's brother," Matt said tightly.
"And I take it you aren't exactly thrilled," Jacobs replied.
"We'll sort it out later."
"I certainly hope so."