A Crack in Time
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. Heroes was created by Tim Kring.
Chapter Two
New York City – Peter's Apartment - 2010
Peter unlocked his door and let himself into the apartment. In the background, his police scanner squawked. It was a comforting sound, even if it urged him to hurry back to help others.
The small table was already set for two. Emma gave him a wide smile. "Dinner's almost ready."
He made the sign for "thank you" out of habit, and hung up his bag and jacket. He disappeared into the bedroom to change out of his uniform. When he returned, Emma had already brought dinner out to the table and was starting to eat.
He sat across from her, slowly filling his plate.
"You should eat. You look tired," she commented.
"I'm not hungry."
"Rough day?"
Peter sighed. "I guess. No one died, but I couldn't help but think of the people who have. All those people I failed in the past. Remember what Hiro said when he was dying?"
"You can't always change the past."
"I know that, but sometimes, little changes, little mistakes, they can be fixed. They need to be fixed."
"What are you going to do?" the blonde asked, staring at him intently, her eyes watching his lips. It was still strange, living with a lip-reader.
"I'm not sure. I just know that I have to do something. Make a difference."
"You are making a difference. Every day you make a difference. You're a good man, Peter. You can't fix everything or everyone," she said, sadly. He knew she was talking about her own past—about her nephew's death and the events at the carnival.
"It's not enough."
"It has to be. You're killing yourself."
"What I've done, what my family's done… nothing I do will be enough. That doesn't mean I'll ever stop trying."
Emma sighed. "Give yourself a break. You can't help anyone like this. You're drained."
"I just need a quick nap. I'm fine."
"Peter, just be careful."
"Always am."
New York City – Quarantine – 2008
"It's about time!" Amy declared, throwing her arms around the newcomer.
"Oi, Pond, it's only been a few minutes!"
"Where's the TARDIS?" she demanded. "We need to get out of here."
"Settle down. Who's your friend?"
"Caitlin, and you're who?" the Irish woman said.
"Oh, sorry, I'm the Doctor."
"You're a doctor? You have a name?"
"It's the Doctor."
"Fine, if we're gonna talk like that, than I'm the Barmaid," Caitlin said, more than a little bit sarcastically.
"She's funny, your friend's funny," he said with a grin.
"Look, can you get us out of here?" Amy asked. "I don't like the idea of this virus."
"Oh, come on, Pond, it's an adventure! How often do you visit a parallel universe?" the Doctor said, still very enthusiastic.
"Too often," his companion said. "Can we go now?"
"Not yet. Caitlin, how did you come to be here?"
"Why does it matter?" she asked, looking between Amy and the strange man. "I'm here, aren't I? And I'm going to die here, just like everyone else."
"What do you know about this virus?" the Doctor asked.
"It kills. People get sick and then they die. Everyone. Anyone. It's in the air. There's not much that'll stop it. Only keeping us apart. Segregated."
"Until you die."
"Basically. Not that it matters. Everyone I know is dead."
"From this virus?"
"Before, me brother was murdered. Then I lost me boyfriend. He died in an outbreak. At least, that's what they said. They said I was confused."
"Are you?"
"I'm not from here. It's the future—at least a year in the future. I was with Peter, in the past, in Montreal, then we're here, in the middle of New York City, and most everyone's dead. We were taken in, forced apart, and they tell me he's dead—that he never existed."
The Doctor frowned. "You time-travelled?"
"I don't know. Peter's special…he does lots of things. I don't think even he knew how he did it or what happened. All I want to do is either give up and die or find him."
"What if I could help you… take you back to where you were before?"
Amy looked at him. "Can we even get to the TARDIS? With this quarantine in effect…"
"Relax, Pond, Rory's got that under control. Now, where are you from, Caitlin?"
"2007. Originally, I'm from Ireland. Peter and I traveled to Montreal because of a painting. He was trying to figure out who he was."
"2007? That's three years ago…" Amy breathed. "Doctor, can we even do that without changing everything?"
"We'll figure that out later. Caitlin, is Peter here? Where did you last see him?"
"He was in the main part of the building with me. But he vanished. He's listed among the dead."
"Okay. Let's get going!" The Doctor sprung into action. "Come along, Pond and friend!"
Amy shrugged. "Better do as he says."
The Irish woman glanced around the cramped room, surveying the bodies and the panic. She didn't really have any reason to stay. At least these people were doing something with the time they had left. There wasn't a future in this room.
Without looking back, Caitlin followed the two time-travellers.
New York City – Mercy Heights Hospital – 2010
Peter stood near the ambulance bay, finishing up paperwork, when the gurney rolled in. He didn't pay much attention at the time. His ears picked up on the thread out of habit.
"Female, early 20s, complained of a fever before collapsing. Her friends said something about a virus…"
He felt his heartbeat slow.
"Probably just the flu," a nurse said.
"Probably. She just happened to hit her head when she collapsed… needs stitches."
Peter took a deep breath and signed his last paper. He turned in time to see the girl wheeled away. The flash of red hair reminded him of Caitlin.
As his pager went off, he picked up his medical bag, smiled at a nurse, and headed out to the ambulance.
New York City – Quarantine – 2008
Caitlin joined the two strangers at a door. On the other side was a person in a biohazard suit. The girl, Amy, rapped on the glass window.
Much to her surprise, the door unlocked. The three slipped out quickly, the Doctor pulling the door shut behind them. "Good to see you, Rory."
The hazmat hood dropped, revealing a man. Amy gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek.
"Where's the TARDIS?" Amy asked.
"Round the corner. No one's bothered it. But shouldn't we let those people out?"
The Doctor looked down as he spoke. "As much as I want to, I think it's for the best. If this virus is as deadly as she says, it must be contained. Perhaps if we find a cure…"
"There's no cure," Caitlin said softly. "It's a death sentence."
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's find your Peter. You said 2007, correct?"
"Yes."
"Okay. To the TARDIS!"
New York City – Mercy Heights Hospital – 2010
In the locker room, Peter changed from his white polo to a dark blue one for the night shift. He was weary from the long day, but he hadn't saved many lives today. Not enough.
He slammed his locker shut.
The loudspeaker kicked in, announcing an emergency code. Not just any code—a lockdown code. For infectious diseases. As in biohazard teams, the CDC, and all kinds of quarantine protocols.
"It wasn't the flu, was it?" he muttered.
Something in his gut told him this wasn't a biological or chemical attack unless Adam Monroe had returned from beyond the grave with the virus. A virus that Peter personally destroyed. Or had he?
Could it be another strain? Or was it a normal virus like Swine Flu or the plague? Anything except the only disease that gave him nightmares.
He had to know. He had to find out.
As panic began to grip those in the hospital, he travelled from floor to floor, searching for the girl he'd seen earlier. She'd been admitted for sure and he would bet his life that she was patient zero. She had something to do with the code.
The simple acting of calling 9-1-1 had doomed several hundred people in the hospital alone, not to mention anyone they had contact with in the hours prior to the code. If this was the Shanti virus, thousands of people would die. Millions of people over months. The entire world.
But how?
Author's Notes:
Is it the virus? Who has it? Thoughts? Or is Peter just overreacting? Thanks for reading. More to come!