Chapter 39- The Truth Hurts

The cut on Gabriel's head throbbed and ached as he bent over the lock working furiously at trying to get it to open. It certainly was an obstinate barrier to his freedom and because it was taking so long, it had transformed from a simple task to a personal mission because it was now an affront to his intelligence and he wasn't about to be outsmarted by a mechanism made of metal. As he gently but persistently used the pick he had fashioned to worm his way past the tumblers, he couldn't help but think about how much easier it would all be if he just had his powers. If he had his telekinesis, he could easily spring the lock- or just rip the whole door out of the wall if that was what it took. But he didn't and this was going to be his only way out.

Peter looked down at his tattered shirt and counted it a small victory that Sylar allowed him to touch him at all- even if he was bleeding. That combined with the strange change in behavior made him wonder exactly what influence their powers had over them. It was plain that Sylar's made him a twisted shadow of the man he used to be and Peter had succumbed to that very impulse himself for the brief time that he had his ability. Even though he tried hard not to let it affect him, he found himself breaking Syalr's neck and trying to cut his own mother's skull open in frighteningly short order. When he thought about it, it really was amazing that Sylar didn't kill more often than he did. It spoke to the amount of control that he had over the darkness, but even he couldn't completely suppress it and it made him the cold killer that he was.

What did his own powers do to him? He couldn't say they hadn't changed him at all- he was significantly different from the young hospice nurse that just wanted to help people a few short years ago. He was a little older and he hoped wiser, but even he couldn't deny that after all he had witnessed he had become a little more cynical and jaded. All of the lies and deceit that his mother had engaged in to run the company- along with Noah and even Nathan's own unwitting compliance made him wonder if he could really trust anyone. It was something he hated thinking about, but it was always in the back of his mind: meeting the future version of himself. That man was so angry and resigned to the fate of the world, Peter couldn't believe that was who he was destined to become and he fought it with everything in him. He didn't want to be that man, but he could feel himself sliding in that direction incrementally as though it were simply the force of gravity.

He was ripped from his thoughts when he heard the unmistakable sound of freedom: a small but resounding "clink" when the lock disengaged. Gabriel suppressed a self-satisfied smile as he scanned the hall for guards and couldn't believe his luck when he saw no one. "Great job!" Peter exclaimed with a beaming smile. It wasn't that he didn't believe that Sylar could do it, it was the finality of having a wide open door to walk through that filled him with joy.

The two men slowly crept down the dark hallway, keeping their backs to the wall and pausing at every sound to avoid detection. On the way in, Gabriel made it a point to memorize every twist and turn so he could find his way out again should the opportunity present itself. Peter had done the same, but he was happy to let Sylar lead- it only seemed right since he was the one that got them out in the first place. He did wonder as he silently tread behind the infamous killer if later down the road this would be used against him as evidence for his indecision, but for the moment he was fine with the status quo.

"Sylar," He whispered quietly, "Where do you think Spock is? We can't leave without him."

"How the hell should I know?" Gabriel shrugged exasperated. "We haven't seen him since we got here. He may be cooperating with them for all we know."

"He wouldn't do that!" Peter hissed. "He wouldn't just give up on us like that."

"Really?" Gabriel asked arching his eyebrow. "Do you know him that well? Let's face it, Peter, we have been left for dead. The rest of the ship hasn't even come for him- or maybe they did and they are long gone by now. No one has come for us and if I were him, I would negotiate for my own hide and I am going to assume that is what he did until I see evidence to the contrary."

"Why do you always think so negatively of people? You know there are those of us who do take honor and integrity seriously." Peter protested.

"You mean besides you?" Gabriel asked rhetorically. "No, I don't believe it and you can hardly count yourself among that group these days." He gave his partner a hard look to drive home the point that he hadn't forgotten about being double crossed.

The pained look on Peter's face was a little more than Gabriel was expecting. "I know I let you down," he said remorsefully, "but we all know what you would have done with the ability to time travel and I couldn't let that happen. I know I disappointed you, but it was for the greater good of humanity. Some things are just bigger than you or me."

Gabriel didn't know what to say to that because Peter did seem to regret the fact that he cheated him. And of course he was absolutely right about his intentions, but what he couldn't have anticipated was the desire to go back and correct the one mistake that he couldn't live with- the one victim that was truly innocent and the one and only person who loved him no matter what. Even if she knew her precious Gabriel was a killer, she could still find a way to love him and he missed that. He had once known unconditional love and only after he lost it did he realize what he had. After he fixed that, he had only one other mission in mind- to meet his real mother so he could find out what powers she may have had and to see her face so he could remember something other than the dead expression that was seared into his young mind. He would never tell her that he was her son from the future because he didn't want her to know that she had given birth to a monster. Undoubtedly she had high hopes and vast dreams for him as any parent would for their child and although he didn't remember much about her, he had the distinct impression that he was something special in her eyes. He couldn't bear the thought of her knowing that her little boy would grow up to be just like his father- but exponentially more powerful.

But none of it mattered now because Peter had decided that teleportation was too dangerous for him to have and he was probably right. If his biological mother turned out to be anything less than saintly- and what human could live up to those standards- or the woman he grew up believing was his mother rejected him when she found out that besides having abilities he was also a murderer with an incredibly high body count, that would be the end of his world and he would no doubt destroy them all by setting the world on fire just as Isaac predicted he would.

Nathan sat at the negotiation table wearing his best politician smile while outside the crowds chanted and whipped themselves into a frenzy. Koval sat across from him eyeing him skeptically. "So am I to understand that you are requesting the return of Spock and the prisoners?"

"That's right." Nathan smiled confidently. There was much to be said about projecting an illusion of certainty. In his experience at least 50% of a negotiation was bluffing and it was something he was exceedingly good at. The other half was dealing in half-truths which he was equally skilled in.

Koval gave a light, incredulous laugh. "And what do you offer in exchange for this?" The audacity of the human amused him to no end.

"Safety." Nathan replied with a serious nod. "I don't think you know what your special prisoners are capable of." He leaned in close to convey the seriousness of the situation. "Either one can destroy the entire planet out there, and together imagine the possibilities of what they could do. They have only been playing along so far. When they get sick of it, they will retaliate and believe me, you are not capable of containing them. Your people have no hope against them and don't think that you are safe because you are far away. They are not constrained by the conventional concepts of time and space. You have never dealt with anything like them before and if you think that you can just tie them up and that will be the end of it, you are in for a very rude awakening."

Koval listened intently, not letting on that he was intimidated. He was a lifelong politician and he knew how the game was played. "They have not given any indication that they are dangerous and they came of their own free will through a bargain that I believe Captain Kirk was witness to."

Jim shifted slightly in his seat. He knew this would come up and by all rights the Romulans had a point. They weren't really captives in the truest sense. "We did allow them to go," he started slowly, "but he is right that they can be very dangerous. I have seen only some of what they can do and if they want to kill all of your men they will and there won't be any stopping them."

"It is in your own best interest if you let them go," Nathan added, "because if they have to fight their way out I can guarantee it won't be pretty." He imagined this to be true more of Sylar than Peter, but he also knew that Peter could be an impressive fighter if his back was to the wall. "Of course we are willing to make an exchange. If I were a betting man I would wager that you are keeping them with the hopes of exploiting their abilities."

"What makes you say that?" Koval asked with only a hint of a smile.

Nathan smirked back. "What other use could you possibly have for them? Besides, the government I worked for had the same goal which is how I know that your plan won't work. You have no means of stopping them, but I know how to. I understand that you have to give a little to get- that is the nature of negotiations. Spock is very important to you as a prisoner and Sylar is important to us as the most powerful evolved human so here is my proposal: give us Spock and Peter and we will leave Sylar here for you to experiment on. I will show you how to contain him so he is no danger. It's a little like catching a fly with chopsticks, but it can be done."

McCoy shot him a stunned sideways glance as did Jim.

Noah sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose as the rest of those assembled looked at the painting on the wall in Sylar's room in quiet contemplation. "I wonder how long ago he painted this?" Claire asked out loud as if anyone had an answer.

"If we knew, we could have stopped it." Ando replied. "We could have done…something!" he was exasperated by a total lack of control over the situation.

"If he knew, vhy didn't he tell anyone?" Chekov asked.

"Because he's Sylar!" Matt grumbled. "God doesn't even know why he does what he does and you expect us mortals to figure it out?"

"Alright, everybody." Noah exclaimed putting his glasses back on. Someone had to get control of the situation. "Looking back and asking why won't help us right now. What we need to do is figure out how to go forward now that we know."

"I could try to get them." Hiro offered. "Maybe I can stop it before it happens."

Uhura couldn't take her eyes off the image of a bleeding Spock but said, "If the eclipse has taken away their powers, won't you be affected too if you go? You will be trapped like them."

"She's right." Ando consoled his friend by patting him on the shoulder. He knew Hiro wanted nothing more than to help, but this wasn't his opportunity.

"The only thing ve can do is send another away team to try to get them, but that may interfere vith the negotiations if they find out and then the Captain and the others vill be in danger." Chekov offered.

"Scotty is the acting Captain," Noah reminded, "It should be his decision as to what we do, but I will volunteer to be on the next team that goes down. I've seen worse, believe me."