Peter remembered the day he had been introduced to Simon Tam, youngest surgeon on Osiris and top 3 at med school. A truly gifted individual. Peter had been sitting in a bar on Persephone, nursing a very strong drink, when a black-haired kid in expensive clothes walked up to the bartender and ordered a very expensive drink. This was what caught Peter's attention. The kid obviously had money and would be an instant target for the less wholesome members of downtown Persephone. Then, in what he presumed the young man thought was a subtle manner, he leaned over the counter and casually asked if the bartender knew a man named Ramone Lewis. The bartender raised an eyebrow and shook his head at him. Peter chuckled to himself. He recognized the name. In fact, he hadn't gone by that name since he was captain of Mnemosyne nearly three years ago. Peter sat up in his chair and surreptitiously watched as this kid began asking around if someone knew who he was looking for. The young man was beginning to look exasperated as he realized that if anyone in the bar had any idea who it was he was looking for, they were very good at hiding it. Peter smirked to himself. Obviously, this kid had no idea what he was doing. Subtlety was an art mastered by few and this poor kid needed a few lessons. However, Peter was never one for subtlety. Looking around to make sure no one was watching him, he cloaked himself in invisibility. He got up, walked over to the man, grabbed him by the arm and dragged him outside to a dark alleyway. The young man flailed around, looking scared out of his mind, trying to fight what he perceived to be some sort of ghost. Peter reappeared and shoved the boy against the wall.
"What do you want with Ramone Lewis?" He asked. The man looked at him with a strange combination of fear and hope in his eyes. Peter thought it would be amusing, if it weren't so pathetic. He honed in on his thoughts.
This man knows Ramone Lewis! Thank God!
"You know Ramone Lewis?" the man asked.
"That depends on who's asking," Peter replied as he searched his mind for a name and any information. Simon Tam. Core-bred. Surgeon. Osiris.
River. Academy. They're hurting
us.
Then a memory flashed before him. A memory of a young girl with dark hair and haunting eyes.
"Come play with me Simon!"
"Not now River. I have to study."
Peter withdrew with a sharp breath and released him. Simon stumbled slightly and looked at him with a curious expression. If he knew he had just been read, he showed no signs of it. Peter glanced quickly around, ensuring no one saw the exchange.
"I need some information," stated Simon. "My name is..."
"I know who you are," Peter interrupted. "Follow me, Dr. Tam. I have just the information you're looking for."
Over the following months, Peter and Simon worked closely together. Simon explained to Peter that his sister was enrolled in a presitgious Alliance Academy, but shortly after her arrival, she started sending him strange letters filled with mistakes. He explained that his sister was a genius, she never made a mistake, so he had started to examine the letters closely and looked for clues. He was able to piece together a message she had hidden within the text.
Help, they're hurting us.
He quit his job at the hospital and left his home and parents to look for any information on the Academy. Two years he searched for answers. He spent his fortune finding contacts, but ultimately, it was fruitless. Then, one day, he had a chance encounter in a bar on Beaumonde. A man named Matt came up to him and handed him a slip of paper with two names. Ramone Lewis and Persephone. Simon boarded the next transport to Persephone, intent on finding him. He knew deep down that this man would have the answers he need.
Together, they constructed a plan to free River from the Academy she was imprisoned in. Peter lifted several key security codes from the minds of those doctors working closely with her. Through the power of suggestion, he enabled Simon to gain access to the Academy to perform and "inspection." Finally, he used his old contacts to hire a ship to lift Simon and River out of the Academy when Simon got to her. It went off well, as far as plans go. River was unconscious when Simon brought her on board. The realization that she was free of that awful place had been too much for her mind to handle. It was probably for the best, Peter thought. She had a long road to travel before she would be fully recovered. If she ever recovered.
Peter turned over an envelope in his hands. It contained all the medical records he was able to lift on River Tam. It wasn't a complete record, by any means. But it might be enough to help her brother make sense of what they did to her. Peter turned to Simon as he lifted his sister into a cryostasis box.
"There's a ship in port called Serenity," he said to him. "She flies true and will carry you to safety. You'll be able to hide River there. You can trust her captain. He hates the Alliance and would never turn you in." Especially once he sees what they did to her. Peter handed Simon the envelope and a slip of paper with a strange phrase written on it. "In the envelope is some money and my contact information in case you should need anything, as well as a few items you might find useful for treating River. " Simon read the phrase on the paper.
"What's this?" Simon asked. Peter looked away for a moment, then replied.
"That's something I hope you never have to use. The Company messed around with your sister's brain. They did things to her no one has a right to do to a human being. If anything unexpected happens, that phrase is your safety net." Simon looked around the ship, then back to Peter.
"I don't know how I can thank you for everything you've done," he said quietly. "But there's one thing I don't understand. Why did you do it in the first place?" Peter smirked slightly and clapped Simon on the shoulder.
"It's too complicated to explain right now, Simon. You need to go and get River to safety. Bring her peace, Simon. We will see each other again someday." With that, Peter Petrelli walked off the ship, leaving River and Simon to make their own way in the universe.