Chapter 31- Mind Games

McCoy stopped in front of the impaled Klingon and stared up at him with an incredulous squint. Rationally he could guess how the rods had come to be buried so deep in his flesh, but to see the engineer hanging on the wall like a painting over a sofa just seemed surreal despite the fact that Sylar had once done the same thing to him and three other grown adults as though it took no effort whatsoever. If all of the data they had gathered during testing was to be believed, it certainly didn't if he could levitate a shuttle craft without so much as breaking a sweat.

Peter paused only for a second to take in the sight before shaking his head and continuing on to his final destination by Scotty and the mystery box. It wasn't that he didn't care about what Sylar had done, he just wasn't in the least surprised and he knew that the Klingon would likely refuse any attempts at help anyway. At any rate, he felt it best to let Dr. McCoy deal with it while he sorted out whatever mess he had been called for. He gave a disdainful look to Sylar and quipped, "Way to be incognito, moron. I thought you were good at this cloak and dagger stuff." He glanced over at the crucified man and grumbled, "Real subtle."

"He knows, Peter." Sylar nearly growled. "I could have killed him, but Shamus over here thought letting him live was a better solution."

Scotty bristled at the insult. "Shamus is an Irish name, not Scottish! I'd be grateful if ya'd not confuse the two ya wanker!"

Sylar rolled his dark eyes. "As if haggis is really any better than Guiness. Seriously."

"Guys," Peter interrupted with a sigh, "that isn't really important right now. We have to figure out what to do with the hanging man over there before someone else finds him."

"You have Parkman's ability." Sylar casually stated with a smirk. "And we all know that his power goes both ways." He didn't verbally express it, but he let the implication hang heavy in the air while his intense eyes bored holes into the younger Petrelli.

Peter knew very well that Matt used it to convince Sylar and everyone else that he was in a deep coma so he could trick him and the veiled reference felt like a slap in the face. He didn't need to be reminded of the incident, but more than that it meant that it was still fresh in Sylar's mind. If that were the case, revenge couldn't be far behind. He held the evil man's gaze steadily and wondered why he expected anything less. "I have never used it like that." He almost whispered while sweat ran down his temple. "I don't know that I could. I don't even know if it works like that with aliens."

Sylar gave the steel box a sharp slap and the ringing resonated throughout the small, cramped, and boiling hot room. "Well, here is your chance to find out." He gestured to the peep hole for Peter to look through.

"What's this?" He asked hesitantly. He didn't want to take his eyes of Sylar for a second if he didn't have to.

"A Romulan." Scotty grumbled with a hint of disgust in his voice that pleased Sylar in a small way.

Peter cautiously peered into the darkness and almost gasped when he saw a very human like being with fierce looking facial tattoos and very dark eyes looking back at him. He was at once filled with a sense of wonder and fear and wondered what he was doing there. "Hello." He greeted in a friendly voice, but the man did not acknowledge him. He turned to Scotty and asked, "Does he speak English?"

"Aye." Scotty confirmed with a weary sigh. "Standard's….well, the standard language of the Federation but Romulans speak it too. He's just bein' a stubborn bastard."

Peter smirked and again locked eyes with the man, this time squinting and tilting his head slightly. "What's your name?" he asked. The man didn't respond- at least out loud- but Peter was able to read his thoughts just as he could anyone else's and it almost made him smile. He went on to ask him more questions that were met outwardly with stony silence, but Peter got what he wanted. He turned back to his colleagues and said, "His name is Mendak and he was kidnapped from his ship about a week ago. He has been held in this box since that time. He is very thirsty and hungry. Apparently the Klingons have not treated him well, but he doesn't know why he is here." Peter jumped when Mendak flew at the slot and tried to reach through it to presumably wring his neck, but Sylar stopped him by nudging Peter out of the way with the flick of his finger. Peter looked at Sylar astonished that he would protect him like that and Sylar looked equally perplexed. He didn't even realize he had done it.

Scotty eyed the wild Romulan with a sense of weary duty. "We have to tell the Captain." He reluctantly decided. "If the man's bein' held against his will as a prisoner, we can't escort the Klingons and take him to his death. He'll have to be returned to his people before we go anywhere."

"Shit." McCoy spat as he shuffled over to the group shaking his head. "Why can't anything just be simple? Just for once I would like to have a quiet mission with no major complications or catastrophes. Is that really too much to ask?"

"Aye!" Scotty laughed. "It is."

"Alright, Peter." Sylar cooed as he tapped a slow rhythm on the steel box. It sounded eerily like the ticking of a clock. "Now you know you can read their thoughts. Time to see if you can pull a Parkman. If not, I will kill them both."

Peter swallowed hard because he knew it was no idle threat. He had no real idea of how exactly Matt was able to make people believe what he wanted them to, but he had better figure it out fast. With an intense look in his eyes, he concentrated hard to push his thoughts into the Romulan's head as he muttered, "You don't know anything about us. We are just normal humans that you have never seen before" until he saw Mendak's eyes glaze over.

Jim sighed nervously as he clamped a hand over his communicator to muffle the transmissions while he strained to pay attention to Koth. He shot a sideways glance at Spock who gave him an almost imperceptible nod which told him the Vulcan's sensitive hearing was still monitoring the soft chatter. It was just as well, Spock was probably better at dividing his attention than he was.

Koth tilted his head and fought the urge to accuse his rescuers of being rude. "Is everything alright?" He asked as dispassionately as he could without appearing suspicious.

"Yeah." Jim nodded with conviction, clamping down on his communicator even more. "That was my engineer. Apparently there was some kind of accident in the engine rooms, but it appears to be under control now." Jim was a Zen master at half truths. He could never be accused outright of being a liar, but he wouldn't hesitate to err on the side of omission when the circumstances demanded it of him.

"Accident?" Koth asked lightly raising his eyebrow.

"Indeed." Spock confirmed with a tight nod. Jim almost laughed when he realized that this was all the Klingon was going to get out of him. If Jim was the master of elaborate half truths, Spock was the master of stubborn simplicity. How could you argue with a response like that? Vulcans never lied and this fact was well known in every corner of the universe, but Spock was becoming quite adept at his own brand of sidestepping that made Jim downright proud.

"So," Jim smiled trying to change the subject, "how are you guys doing on supplies? Do you need any food or water?"

"Or supplies are sufficient." Koth reluctantly replied. There was something about the young Captain that didn't sit well with him, but as if having a Romulan prisoner on board wasn't bad enough he couldn't imagine the hell he would catch if he got into a battle with Starfleet over their missing star Captain and their only Vulcan member.

"Good. It seems like preliminary reports from my CMO are that injuries have been minor. How'd you guys get all the way out here near Romulan territory, anyway?" Jim asked with a sly smile.

"Patrolling the sector." Koth sneered back.

Jim scoffed and slowly said, "I see." He didn't believe him for a second. There was no reason for him to be nearly on the border, Klingons had no collateral outposts or mining operations this far out of their sector to protect. "And the Romulans just appeared out of nowhere and attacked your vessel for no apparent reason?" Koth glared back at him with eyes that screamed for his blood, but Jim didn't flinch. More and more it seemed as though his suspicions were correct. There was something else going on, some bigger picture that he couldn't yet see but he knew was there.

"It is your right to patrol your airspace," Spock coolly interjected, "but I believe what the Captain is attempting to ascertain is the likelihood of another surprise attack by the Romulans during this mission. If they have mounted an offensive in this manner on your ship it is logical that they will attempt a similar strategy."

Koth regarded the Vulcan with a wary eye as he felt his rage subside. Vulcans never lied, so perhaps he misinterpreted the young man. He made a mental note to play his cards a little closer to his vest so as not to give himself away. He was new to this whole negotiation thing. If it were up to him, he just would have battled them both- at the same time if they preferred- and forced the others to fix his ship and crew so he could be on his way. But as it was, to disobey direct orders from the High Council would bring great dishonor to him and his family forever so he had to sit there and bear the tedious process. He felt like a prisoner on his own ship.

"Sir, I think I have found something." Uhura announced as she held her earpiece to better hear the faint transmission that buzzed in her ear. "It is a Romulan communication between ships. It seems they think one of them is being held prisoner by the Klingons. They are planning an attack on the vessel."

"How could that be?" Sulu asked perplexed. "The Klingons don't take prisoners and where the hell would they hide him on the ship so the away team wouldn't find him?"

"Maybe they put a wig on him." Chekov shrugged. "But ve have to varn them that they are in danger."

Nathan's head snapped up as it all began to coalesce for him. Peter was on the ship that was about to be attacked and he didn't like it one bit. "Can't you yank them back with the transporter thingy?" He asked desperately.

"Yes, but we would have to evacuate the entire ship, not just our crew and that takes some doing." Sulu explained.

"Then do it!" Nathan roared as he stood up. He understood military protocol very well as a former officer himself, but the fear of Peter being harmed swelled up within him like a volcano and was unstoppable. "Dammit, if you won't, I will fly over there myself and get him!"

"Nathan," Noah said soothingly as he moved to his side, "calm down. This has to be done strategically. I know you are worried about Peter and we all are, but let them do their job and he will be ok. We have to trust them."

He sighed and gripped the edge of Spock's console so hard his knuckles turned white. He never would have said that he shared a psychic bond with his brother, but his gut told him this was going to end badly and he wanted to throw up.