Chapter 27- Clues
After Koth had vanished from the screen, Jim twisted in his chair rapping his fingers lightly as the wheels in his head whirred at a frantic pace. He was almost relieved to see Spock arrive in his usual stern but efficient manner to stand at his station with only the slightest nod to his superior. If anyone could figure out exactly what the hell was going on, it would be him. He was adept at observation back at the bar when he encountered Hiro- a being he had no knowledge of- so Jim hoped he would be able to shed some light on the strange behavior of a species he was more familiar with. "Uhura, can you send that last transmission to the conference room?"
She turned her head slightly and set to work, her slender fingers gliding effortlessly over her controls. "It is waiting for you, Sir." She reported.
"Great. Spock, care to join me?" He sighed giving his second in command a pat on the shoulder as he passed.
Spock predictably stiffened at the casual contact, a custom he had yet to become accustomed to which is partially why Jim did it. He was providing a service as he saw it- helping him integrate and all. Still, Spock pulled himself together and marched behind him with such determination it would have made Jim nervous if he hadn't known him so well. His purposeful gait mixed with the usual masked face and dark eyes reminded him enough of Sylar that he worried he would have the back of his skull sliced open. He still hadn't entirely forgotten being thrown across the sickbay by a blast of energy from the man's hands and he made a mental note then and there to never let the killer sneak up on him. It was just unfortunate that Spock resembled him so much- he just couldn't look at him quite the same way again.
Spock passively watched the transmission with Jim in the conference room, reserving all commentary until the end of the file. "I agree that his behavior is abnormal." He said at last after some internal deliberation. "It was as if he were…trying too hard as you might say. However, we have no evidence to suggest that his circumstance is anything but as reported and we do have orders from Starfleet to render aid."
"I know." Jim sighed rubbing his face in frustration. "But something isn't right, Spock, I just know it."
"Another prediction from your internal organs?" Spock asked playfully raising his eyebrow. "I do not believe we can claim that as an authoritative source."
"But it is credible." Jim laughed. "Anyway, what if we could…you know…get some evidence from a credible source."
"I do not understand." He replied cocking his head slightly trying his best to ignore the feeling of dread stirring in his own gut.
"We have extraordinary weapons that we have never had before." Jim began slowly. Even he wasn't certain his plan was a good one, but he at least wanted to hear Spock say it wasn't as crazy as it sounded. "We have people that can gather intelligence in ways we can't. What if…what if we could persuade the evolved humans to help us? Nothing too dangerous, but maybe they can do some background checking just to make sure we aren't stepping in a bear trap."
Spock's eyes, usually as hard as obsidian, softened ever so slightly as he considered the plan even if it was only for a split second and Jim took this as an encouraging sign. "The best way to proceed is to utilize one individual with the most abilities to gather as much data as possible in a short period of time so the Klingons will not become suspicious. However, Peter is not well enough to be of service and I suspect Sylar will not volunteer for such a duty."
"What if we could get them to work together?" Jim asked crossing his arms deep in thought. "I know Peter isn't all back to neat yet, but if we can get Sylar to help him it might not be too much work. And we may have to go that way anyway."
"Because they do not share all the same powers." Spock surmised. "Peter does not possess Sylar's aptitude and Sylar does not have Peter's ability to read minds. At least, according to Dr. McCoy that was not one of the abilities that was transferred during the procedure." He nodded and after a long pause added, "I am hesitant to involve civilians in matters of the Federation, particularly if it places their continued anonymity in peril. However, if they freely agree to be of service I believe their talents will be most useful."
"Got that covered." Jim smiled wickedly. "It's simple- give them uniforms so they look like one of us. The Klingons won't know the difference and I can explain it away to Starfleet if it all goes south."
Matt, Hiro, Ando, Claire, and Nathan all languished around the rec room in sheer boredom. Since the ship had gone on active status, the research project had been put on hold and they were suddenly barred from certain areas of the ship, leaving them with not much to do other than try to stay out of the way.
Nathan tossed a ball into a wall over and over again as he absentmindedly watched Hiro and Ando damn near kill each other with fencing swords they found stashed in an equipment closet. It was hard for him to believe that at one time Hiro had actually been trusted with an actual antique katana, although to his credit he did make good use of it when the time came at Kirby Plaza. Now if Sylar just had the decency to stay dead…but it wasn't like he was one to talk. After being completely incinerated and shot to death, it wasn't like he had the moral high ground on the topic. After all the radiation and regenerative blood transfusions, it made him wonder if he should ever have another child- god knows what all that did to his DNA. He glanced over at Claire while she pretended to box with Matt and he half smiled. At least she turned out alright- whatever that meant.
He couldn't help but think of how indebted he was to Noah Bennet, as unlikely an ally as there ever was. Noah had adopted her and raised her for all the years that he never knew she even existed- although he had to wonder if Angela did since the company was the orchestrator of the whole thing. Noah worked hard to protect her and give her a normal life and he had to respect him for that. It was obvious that Claire respected him and clearly loved him as a father- in a way he knew she would never see him as the actual contributor of half of her genetic makeup. He always felt more like a big brother to her, just a little outside of her sphere of influence but responsible nonetheless. The only relationship he ever had in his life that was even close was with Pete- who was still resting in his room, being watched over that very minute by none other than Noah Bennet. It always seemed like Noah was there to pick up the pieces of his shattered family ties- with Claire, Pete, and his mother, when he didn't have the strength or desire to. Strange considering his own family was falling apart.
His concentration was broken when Claire randomly asked, "So what do you think the aliens will look like?" To anyone that cared to answer.
"Little green men." Ando smiled. "Don't they all?"
"I think some are grey." Matt shrugged. "But what if they look like the thing from…well, Alien? The 9 foot tall beast with big teeth and slobbers all over the place."
Claire scrunched up her face and laughed. "Eww. That's gross."
"They may not even look like us." Nathan stated resuming his game of one man catch. "They could just be blobs or something. They could have 10 arms or no eyes. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised by anything. We might scare them more than they scare us."
"Maybe they come in peace." Hiro smiled dreamily as he twirled his foil.
Nathan looked at the shorter man and smirked at his optimism. "Let's hope so, Hiro."
Sylar heard the door chime, but he didn't bother to answer it. He assumed it was either a mistake by someone drifting too close to his door as they passed or worse yet it was Peter- coming to…whatever Peter could possibly have to say to him. He was irritated when the chiming persisted, but almost angry that the door finally slid open without his telling it to. His anger was muted somewhat when Spock slowly but purposefully entered with his hands behind his back. If it were anyone other than the green man, they would have found themselves thrown out the way they came with the slightest flick of his wrist or worse, but he was genuinely curious as to why Spock was paying him a visit. Like himself, Spock was a man of absolute purpose so his being there had a definite agenda.
Spock regarded him with a neutral expression and a slight nod as he spoke in his usual almost monotone voice, "I apologize for the intrusion." He was distracted by the painting on the wall and he seemed to study it for quite some time. "I was not aware that you were an artist." He observed flatly. If he wanted a canvass on which to paint, all he had to do was ask.
"I'm not." Sylar nearly hissed. "I don't even remember painting it, although I know I did." He hung his head, frustrated that for once in his life he had no answers.
"Your subject matter is most disturbing." Spock said dispassionately as he took a step closer to better examine the details. "But I am intrigued. How did you know that my blood is green and not red as your own?"
Sylar lifted his head and squinted at the picture before turning to his guest. "I didn't." He almost whispered in horror.
Spock noted the genuine shock on Sylar's face and he gently raised an eyebrow. "Fascinating. I assume this is the result of one of the abilities you gained from Peter, but as I recall he stated that he dreamed of the future."
Sylar massaged his temples in slow circles. He didn't really know why he felt he had to explain himself, yet he did. He wondered if the guilt-like feeling he had was more of Peter's after effects. "He does, or did…I don't know. But that…" He jabbed an index finger at the painting for emphasis "is from Isaac Mendez. He was an artist we knew who could paint the future."
Spock studied the picture a moment more and quietly asked, "So this is a moment in the future that will come to pass?"
"Somehow." Sylar sighed. "The thing I have learned is that it isn't always what it seems. In one of Isaac's paintings Peter was dead in a pool of blood, but as you see he is clearly alive. In another, I had cut off a blonde girl's head- which turned out not to be Claire. But I have been staring at this and I can't figure out what the trick is."
Spock turned away from the colorful prediction of his own apparent demise and resumed his rigid stance. "If the future is unalterable, it is not logical to persist in your attempts to find ways to disrupt the timeline. However, it is a fact that the future can be changed. I am not certain in what way this moment will come about, but knowing of the possibility can give us advance warning to prevent its occurrence." Even though Sylar had been down that road before, something in the conviction in Spock's voice gave him a small, fleeting flicker of hope. "And I believe I have the first clue."
Peter sat up in his bed and listened intently to Jim while Noah looked on with a noncommittal expression. This was clearly going to be his decision- Noah wasn't about to encourage or discourage him because after all he was a grown man who could make his own choices. In a way he was glad Nathan wasn't with him because Jim would have been punched in the mouth before he could get the first sentence out. "So, you want me to go with you and read their minds for…?" He squinted at Jim for clarification.
"Anything that would suggest that they are up to something. We may also need some of your other powers if things go sideways. Do you ever just know something so deep down but no one believes you?" Jim asked passionately.
"Yeah, I do." Peter laughed remembering how hard it was to convince Nathan he could fly.
"That's it! I just know that something isn't right but I can't prove it. I need you to be my ears. I hope I am wrong, but I would almost bet my last credit I'm not. I know this is a bad time and you aren't really felling well, but if I had any other option I wouldn't ask."
"No, it's cool." Peter nodded. "I'm much better than I was, I can do it. If it will help, I will. But won't they think it's a little weird that I'm just wandering around?"
"You won't be." Jim smiled pulling a blue Starfleet shirt out from behind his back and presenting it to his new ally. "You are now an honorary member of Starfleet Medical- the Bones Brigade. You can put those nursing skills to use as part of the medical team for a cover."
Peter smiled as he held the shirt by the shoulders in front of him to inspect it. "Awesome."