Peter maneuvered the small shuttle over the hilly terrain of the small moon.
River watched the landscape pass by underneath them. It was a beautiful planet. It struck her that the past times she had visited the Georgia System, she was never able to appreciate its natural beauty. The thought struck her as quite ironic, and she chuckled.
Peter looked over at her.
"They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder," he said, eyeing her carefully.
River continued her quiet examination of the landscape.
"So much beauty matched with so much death," she replied quietly. "I suppose the founders never noticed the beauty, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to mar it with their madness." She curled her legs up under her and leaned back in the chair.
Peter contemplated this for a moment.
"I suppose you're right, River," he replied. "Often madness fails to comprehend true beauty." He pointed at a compound that had become visible over the horizon.
"Look," he said as he pointed. "There it is."
River looked up and saw the Academy looming closer. All her fears and anxiety came rushing back to her when she saw the place that imprisoned her for three long, torturous years.
Peter could see the young girl becoming panicked and reached out his mind to her. He used his centuries of training to calm her. He pulled her to happier memories; of her childhood with Simon, memories of Serenity and memories of Mal.
"Breathe deeply, River," he instructed. "Focus on the good. Focus on the job. You can do this." River nodded and closed her eyes. In and out, in and out, she breathed deeply and thought of Mal. She could do this. It meant a possibility of a future for her. She would no longer have to live in fear of being triggered at any moment. She would be able to destroy those who had tried to destroy her. She would be able to rescue those like her that were left behind. Her thoughts were interrupted when a voice came over the intercom.
"Unidentified shuttle, please state your purpose." The comm crackled. Peter leaned over and responded.
"This is Sergeant Theodore Sprague, code Alpha-Bravo-9-7-7. We are expected. Over," Peter spoke with an air of authority, using a code he had lifted from the mind of a high-ranking Alliance official several months previously. There was a pause as the voice on the other end checked the authenticity of the code. The comm crackled to life again.
"Sergeant Sprague, you are cleared to land at docking bay two. Welcome to the Academy, sir."
Peter pulled the shuttle into the designated landing spot and powered it down. He turned to look at River, who sat very still, not making any sound or motion.
"River," he said sharply. "I need you to focus on the job!"
River looked at him and he watched as her demeanor changed. She was strong and powerful. A fighter. She could do this.
"I am ready," she replied. "No power in the 'verse can stop me."
Back on the ship, Mal sat alone on the bridge, deep in thought. His mind was consumed with thoughts of his pilot. She had entered the one place she feared the most and he had let her go. It made Mal feel all sorts of uncomfortable. He promised her that he wouldn't let anything happen to her. She was too precious to him and he would walk through fire to rescue her if anything happened. He would even die for her, if need be. Even though he understood that Peter was the only one able to accomplish this mission, he would rather it was he out there, by River's side, instead of Peter. It wasn't that he was jealous of Peter Petrelli, far from it, in fact. There was no one in the universe Mal would trust more with River's life. Peter was a man of integrity and he held fast to a strong code of honor. Loyalty to your family, crew, and ship. Courage in the face of danger and the bravery to protect the innocent, honor, a long forgotten concept, held by few men. These were concepts Mal could relate to. In a way, they governed his life as well.
He recalled stories told to him by an old shepherd back home on Shadow. The shepherd taught him about God, man, and evil. But he also taught young Mal about honor and what it meant to be a good man. The shepherd taught him about honor, compassion, and loyalty. These were ancient virtues forgotten in a modern universe. It was on this level Mal was able to relate to Peter, as much as the man angered him sometimes. No, Mal knew Peter would protect River. He just wished he didn't feel so helpless.
Peter and River walked quickly and authoritatively through the compound. Peter went first, with River walking slightly behind him. She looked the part of an Alliance doctor and although she nervous about being recognized, no one tried to stop them. If anyone had, Peter would explain that she was a high-ranking Alliance official, here to observe and evaluate key subject progress, but no one did. They were all too caught up in their own business. The psychologists and researchers knew that anyone present within the compound had to be first cleared by security before they were allowed to enter.
What those same doctors and researchers didn't know was that there was a 500-year old psychic, familiar with the inner workings of the Company, able to take advantage of the weak-minded individuals that guarded the base. If they had known that, they might have been a little more guarded with their thoughts.
Subject 8462 is showing remarkable progress in the area of cellular regeneration.
Such a shame Subject 3677 managed to kill himself. He was truly a remarkable specimen.
I shall have to speak with Dr. Hu concerning the psychic analysis program. It seems several of these DNA markers are incompatible.
The thoughts swirled around River and she reached out to Peter for focus.
Peter.
Peter glanced back at his young colleague. We're almost there, River, just a few more feet. They turned the corner and stopped at the sight of two armed security guards. They were stationed in front of a door with their weapons locked and loaded. The door had a security code panel to the right and was also bolted with key card entrance.
Well, thought Peter. This is a new development.
River looked over at him as she picked up on his thought. Clearly, Peter hadn't expected an armed guard. Or the multiple security key entries. She rolled her eyes. Wasn't he supposed to be psychic?
My psychic ability is limited. I can't see the future. I only have the information I was able to lift a few months ago. His thought intruded.
Well, clearly your information was flawed, came her response. We'll just have to improvise.
One of the guards stepped forward, interrupting their telepathic conversation. "This is a secured area. Authorized personnel only," he commanded in a strict voice.
River rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. Peter looked at her, then back to the guard.
"Authorized personnel?" he queried, stepping forward. "Do you know who this is?" He indicated River. The guard stepped back slightly and shook his head.
River gave another huff. "I never!" she said quietly. She appeared very indignant and upset.
The guard started to look worried.
"This is Dr. Serenity Suresh," Peter stated. The guards looked at each other, confused. Peter stepped forward and lowered his voice. "Dr. Suresh is the administrator in charge of the Chanti project. If you value your jobs and your reputation, you will not delay her any further." You will let us enter.
The guards responded well to the powerful suggestion. Without thinking twice, they entered the necessary codes and opened the door to allow Peter and River to enter. Before the door was closed behind them, Peter stopped and turned around.
"Thank you gentlemen," he said. "We will only be a few moments. Please don't let anyone disturb us." Then the door shut.
River looked around the room. It was a giant signal broadcasting mainframe similar to the one she remembered from Mr. Universe's moon. Except, the one in this room was much more sophisticated. Had he been alive, she had no doubt Mr. Universe would have been very jealous. She looked over at Peter, who had entered just behind her.
"Must be convenient to have all those abilities floating around in your head," she said with a wry smile.
He grinned back at her.
"It has its uses," he replied. "How quickly do you think you can hack into this system?"
River shook her head.
"I'm unsure. It's a sophisticated piece of technology. It might take me at least ten minutes." She stepped toward the giant machine and touched the metal panel. Closing her eyes, she reached over and pressed a few buttons, then pulled back in shock.
Peter hurried over to her side, concerned.
"What is it, River?" he asked. "What did you see?"
"They're here," she said, terrified to her core. "Two by two. Hands of blue." She cowered by the large machine and repeated the phrase over and over again.
Peter knelt down by her and took her by the shoulders.
"River," he said sternly. "I need you to focus." She shook her head.
"Can't focus," she babbled as she started to cry. "Two by two."
"Yes, two by two," Peter interrupted and shook her slightly. "I know two by two is very bad. But we have a job to do! This is the only way you can be free of them! How do you think they know where to look for you? When you land on a planet, your body sends out a signal, which they track using this machine. This machine sends out the embedded signals that can trigger you and every other subject at a moment's notice. We have to destroy it. But I need your help to do that. River, I need you."
River peered up at him through her tears, then shakily stood to her feet. She pulled herself over to the console and began to input some numbers. She inserted a small data chip and began uploading a microvirus. It was a small piece of data that had the ability to insert itself into the existing software and become invisible as it destroyed everything around it.
"There," she turned around in triumph. "It's done."
Peter smiled as the lights on the machine slowly began flickering in an uncontrolled pattern and the data that scrolled across the screen turned into gibberish.
"Alright," he replied taking her hand and leading her to the door. "Let's get out of here."
River stopped in her tracks.
"Too late," she said. The door swung open to reveal two men in business suits wearing blue gloves. Behind them, two guards lay dead in a pool of blood.
A/N: I based the code of honor on the Seven Virtues of Bushido (translated: the way of the warrior, ie. The Sammurai Code of Honor). To find out more go here: http://en.