Family Ties

When Peter entered the hospital this morning he was almost too late for his shift. Almost. He overslept a little, only fifteen minutes but it used up too much of his time for his liking. Now he was late and when he slipped into the locker room, he noticed a bunch of people in the waiting area, standing before the TV. He shouldn´t understand why, until he got back out five minutes later.

Emma was already waiting for him, in the hallway, an expression on her face as if she´d seen a ghost.

"What is it?" he asked, with a frown but she didn´t seem able to give him an answer.

Her mouth opened but closed again, helplessly. Instead of giving an answer she dragged him behind – her hand was shaking, he noticed – to the waiting area. To the small TV in the corner.

Peter was so confused by his friend and her odd behavior, that he didn´t see the news at once. But then he heard it. A voice he hadn´t heard in years. A voice from a long gone past. He turned to the screen and his mouth dropped open.

His brother was on TV. His dead brother. Peter´s first thought that this has to be a tape, didn´t stand a closer inspection. No, this was now. This was no old recorded speech of his brother from the days when he was running for Senator. This was today. And Nathan – Nathan! – spoke of of a conspiracy. A cover up surrounding his fake death.

A young reporter summarized Nathan´s story, once again. Something Nathan must have been telling the world somewhere in a hotel, yesterday. Dear god, yesterday. Why hadn´t they heard of that earlier?

Nothing of this made any sense. This reporter claimed that a) Nathan was alive and that he b) accused the government of being part of a conspiracy. A conspiracy that faked his death and held him captive, for these last three years. Now that he´d been freed by a group of people who would remain unnamed, he demanded an investigation, to uncover the truth and to bring the people responsible to justice.

Peter could only stand there, numb, shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness that washed over him. This was impossible. Nathan was dead. This couldn´t be him. A conspiracy? Cover ups? Peter knew about all the cover ups that had surrounded his brother´s death. He´d been there. He´d seen his brother´s body. He´d buried him.

A ringing sound made him jump and he answered his phone automatically, without thinking. Which was a good thing, because coherent thinking was not an issue for him right now. At least until he heard the excited voice of his mother.

"Peter."

"I know." he had no idea how he could be ahead of her that fast, but he was. "I know, I just saw it." His brain switched back into gear and he turned away from the TV, determined to get an answer. "What the hell is this, Mom?" he demanded to know.

"I swear to you I have nothing to do with this." Angela immediately claimed. "I´m as shocked over this as you are. Your brother is dead, we both know that."

"Then who the hell is that?"

"I don´t know. But I might have an idea who could tell us."

"Who?"

"Matt Parkman."

"What?" Peter´s mind went racing, back to the phone call that had asked Mohinder and Sylar for help. To Molly, who´d tried to find them, only to find that she couldn´t. Again he shook his head.

"But Matt is …"

"He stood behind Nathan or whoever tries to impersonate him." his mother talked over him. "You didn´t see him?"

"No, I didn´t see him." Peter snapped. "I was focused on my dead brother standing on a stage, talking to the world."

"But I saw him." came the composed answer from his mother. "He was there and that means he knows some more than we do. I suggest that we contact him."

Peter just couldn´t believe what he heard. "Matt is dead." he recalled, already walking, heading back for the locker room. "Molly said …"

"I know what the girl said." he was interrupted once again. "She´s bailing her eyes out, ever since Dr. Suresh left her under my care. But I know what I saw, Peter. Matt Parkman is alive. And if he is … then I assume Hiro Nakamura is too."

Peter stopped dead in his tracks at this. Hiro. Molly had told them he was nowhere to be found. But Hiro could time travel and Molly´s ability couldn´t track someone through time. Of course. Oh, god, did this mean …?

"Mom?"

"Not over the phone. You need to come home. Now."

And for the first time in quiet a while, Peter agreed with his mother without hesitation.

"I´m on my way." he promised and hung up before she could give another response.

...

When he got home, he expected everything but not to be greeted by a gathering. His mother was the one opening the door, but it was the group of people behind her that immediately earned his attention.

Mohinder was there, Molly by his side and Hiro.

"Mom." Peter barely managed it to acknowledge his mother´s presence, before turning to the others. "Hiro." he said, as if speaking out the name made it more real and easier to face. "So it is true. You guys are alive."

He turned his head, to look at Mohinder and he immediately knew that this would be a long story.

"They just arrived." his mother told him, answering his gaze. "A few minutes before your arrival."

He nodded, ready to hear whatever it might be. "Tell me." he demanded. "What´s going on? This man I saw on TV … that´s not my brother, right?"

A shadow ran over the geneticist´s face, like hidden guilt.

"It is Nathan, Peter."

Peter felt numb, all over again. He would have accepted anything, from a shapeshifter like Sylar to an illusionist, even a cloning experiment would have sounded more possible than this. But Nathan? The real Nathan? Alive?

"How?" was all he could muster.

"That´s a long story." Mohinder hesitated. "Maybe we should sit down?"

After they´d taken their seats around the kitchen table, Peter just sat there and listened. He listened to their stories, stories about blackmail and time travel and butterflies that had been undone. And all the sudden his dead brother was supposed to be back to life and he was supposed to accept this. What the hell had happened since he´d gone to bed yesterday?

When they were finished it was quiet. Every gaze was on him now, waiting for his reaction. He cleared his throat, doing his best to give them some kind of response.

"So you´re telling me that … that the man I buried …" but he just couldn´t bring himself to finish that sentence. Because finishing it would mean that all this was real. But it couldn´t. It was too obscure. Too … unbelievable.

"That is quiet a story, gentlemen." Angela agreed with him. "I hope you realize that."

"But it is true." Hiro insisted, sounding almost insulted. "As true as I sit here."

"How?" Peter heard himself ask, once again. "I mean … why?"

"That´s why we came here." Mohinder replied. "To figure that out. Do you know a woman named Shana Stockwell?" he asked, briefly turning around to Angela. "She said she´s an old friend of Nathan."

Peter saw his mother´s eyes drop for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Shana, of course. What about her?"

"She´s the one who made us do all this." Hiro blurred.

"I remember the name too." Peter spoke, more to himself. "She used to work for Senator … what was his name?"

"Archer." Angela recalled. "Shana was a secretary. Her influence on politics was limited to her influence on Archer. I don´t see how she could have done anything like what you described."

"But she did." Hiro insisted. "Believe me."

Peter shook his head in irritation. "Why?"

"She had a sister." Hiro told him. "A sister who died. We think she wants revenge for her death."

"Janice Parkman told us, she spoke to Shana once." Mohinder explained. "Right after they captured her. Unfortunately this is the only kind of information we´ve got. And we don´t know what kind of revenge Shana wants. This whole court thing they started … it doesn´t make any sense."

As if she wanted to flee the situation, Angela shoved her chair back and stood up, walking through the kitchen in deep concern.

"It does if you see the whole picture." she said, her eyes far away as if she saw something in the distance that no one else could know.

"What picture?" Peter demanded an explanation.

"Their plan." she said, without turning back to them. "What they try to do."

Peter still didn´t understand what his mother was talking about, but he knew that look on her face. It didn´t mean anything good. The persistent back she kept turned on them only intensified this feeling.

"Mom?" he asked, almost scared to hear that revelation.

"What do they want?" Mohinder asked, his voice heavy, from the same fear Peter felt.

Eventually Angela turned back around, to face them. Her eyes were hard, showing the well known grim determination, that Peter had learned to fear. Because experience had taught him, that it took a lot to get her to that place. His mother was scared. Scared of something she knew but couldn´t change. And then she spoke.

"Killing the President. That´s what they want. Better yet …" she took a breath. "Nathan … He´s supposed to kill the President. That´s what this is supposed to accomplish. I have no idea why or how. I only know that he will be the one who kills him."

There was a heavy silence after she´d finished. Peter exchanged a brief glance with Mohinder.

"A dream?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer. His mother nodded.

"Last night. I thought for a change it was just a weird dream. After all how could it be real?" She smiled, briefly. "Nathan was dead. But now …"

Once again silence filled the room. And once again it was Peter who broke it.

"I need to talk to him." he decided. "No matter what Matt did with his mind, if I can just talk to him …"

"I´m not sure if that´s a good idea." Mohinder interrupted. "You know how strong Matt´s suggestions can be. He wouldn´t believe you."

"I have to try." Peter insisted and his tone didn´t leave a choice for Mohinder, whether he wanted to answer or not: "Where is he?"

Mohinder exchanged a glance with Hiro, asking for his opinion. Neither of them spoke a word, but eventually the two of them sighed, almost simultaneously and turned to Molly.

She understood the request at once and closed her eyes. Focusing. Searching.

"He´s in Washington." she said at last.

"Who?" Peter asked. "Matt or Nathan?"

"Both of them. They´re together. There are other people too. Lots of other people."

Peter met Mohinder's gaze again, warning him, about what might happen. But Peter couldn´t care about this. Not if it was about his brother. Not if there really was a chance.

"Where is that?" he asked Molly.

The girl frowned, eyes closed, and moved her head, as if she was looking around a place only she could see. When she found it, she sighed in frustration.

"FBI headquarters." she told them.

Again Peter met gazes from all directions, asking him to be reasonable.

"Won´t be too easy to get to them, as long as they´re there." Mohinder spoke it out.

"Don´t care. I have to try."

And before the other one even knew what happened, he´d reached out and touched Hiro´s hand, long enough for his power to flow into his system.

"I´m his brother." Peter stated, as if that explained everything. He faced his mother. "They´ll let me through to him."

Angela held his gaze, forcing a smile.

"I hope you´re right, Peter. But please remember that he´s not the man you knew. Dr. Suresh is right, Matt Parkman´s suggestions can be very powerful."

"Don´t worry, Mom." Peter stood up. "I won´t forget that."

"Let us come with you." Hiro cried, jumping up from his seat, eagerly.

"No." Peter denied, gently raising his hand. "I better do this alone. If we all show up there, it´ll raise too much attention. I´ll go alone."

He met the gaze of his mother again, composed and strong. And yet he could see the worry behind her eyes, well hidden, but not to him. Never to him.

"Be careful, Peter." she said. "I have a bad feeling about all this."

"So do I." he agreed with her, taking a step back from the table, to prepare for the leap. "Wish me luck." he said and then he closed his eyes.

...

He found himself in an allay just across the street from FBI headquarters. His right foot was soaking wet in an instant and Peter raised it, out of the puddle, with a grunt of disgust. Great. Damn he hated it to teleport after such a long time without practice.

He didn´t take the time to pour it out, but crossed the street, determined and entered the building. Once inside, the sound his wet shoe made was much louder in his ears, but he ignored it.

"Can I help you, sir?" the young desk sergeant addressed him.

"Yeah." he replied. "My name´s Peter Petrelli. I´d like to speak to my brother. Nathan Petrelli." He noticed the funny look she gave him and hurried to add: "I heard that he was here."

Instead of telling him where to go, she exchanged a glance with a security guard nearby.

"You heard that." she repeated warily.

"Yeah." Peter confirmed, pretending he hadn´t seen her glance to the guard. "Can I speak with him? It´s really important."

Another glance was exchanged between her and the guard. This time Peter didn´t try to pretend he hadn´t noticed.

"Just a second." she said and took the phone.

Peter waited. In the corner of his eye he could see the guards, getting word over their headsets, of how to proceed. They moved in on him, hands on their guns.

"Sir." one of them addressed him. "I need you to take your hands behind your head."

Peter turned around to face him. "What?" he asked, looking intentionally irritated.

"You´re under arrest." the man informed him.

"What?" this time his irritation was real. "What for?"

"Your brother informed us about your possible involvement in the conspiracy to make him vanish and fake his death."

For a moment Peter thought he´d lost his speech. "That´s … ridiculous." he mustered at last. "Where is he? I want to talk to him."

"Right now you might wanna talk to a lawyer." the security guard replied dryly. "Please, don´t make me tase you. Just raise your hands behind your head and come quietly."

Peter scoffed but eventually obeyed, taking his hands up for the guard to cuff him.

"I want to see Nathan." he repeated his demand as they led him away.

"We´ll see." was all the answer he got.

...

Several stories above, an agent hurried out of the elevator and into the bullpen, where several people were gathered, as if attempting a briefing. A briefing that was actually going for several hours now. The agent stepped forward.

"Sir. We´ve just arrested Peter Petrelli." he informed his superior. "He asked to see the senator."

Nathan Petrelli looked emotionally attached for a moment. That moment passed and he turned to agent Ewing, with an inscrutable expression.

"I told he´d come here." he said.

Ewing nodded. "Good work." he praised the agent, who´d delivered the message. "Now that we have him, it´ll only be a matter of time until we find the rest of them too."

"If he even knows the others." Mary Lightly spoke up, chewing on a tuna fish. "Experience shows that most of these organizations live from anonymity. Only a few members know of each other, so if one should get caught, he can´t give away the whole group."

"We know all that." Ewing informed the small profiler, eying him disapprovingly.

"I want to talk to him." Nathan Petrelli demanded, startling everybody in the room.

"I don´t think that´s a good idea." the blonde woman by his side spoke up, laying a hand on his arm.

"I know." he agreed with her. "But he´s my brother. I need to know why he did it."

He faced agent Ewing, demanding without words to be led to where Peter was hold, and the FBI agent nodded, already in the process of leading the way.

"Parkman." Shana Stockwell spoke, her tone desperate, demanding.

The addressed man, stepped in Nathan Petrelli´s way but he didn´t say a word, only looked at him. The senator stopped in his tracks, hesitating, as if thinking.

"Maybe it would be better to wait until tomorrow though." he spoke at last, frowning deeply as if trying to figure out what he just said. Eventually he nodded, to himself. "Ehm, you might wanna sedate him, agent Ewing." he added, as if this thought just occurred to him.

Ewing raised both brows. "Sedating him?" he repeated. "That´s highly unorthodox."

"Trust me." Petrelli replied with the most serious expression. "Peter can be really … tricky. You don´t want him to get away, do you?"

Ewing studied the senator´s face for a moment, unsure what to make of this. He noticed the other man, Parkman, looking at him, and turned to face him, intending to ask him … ask him … yeah what exactly?

He´d forgotten.

He faced Petrelli again and then he remembered. Of course, the younger brother. He needed to be sedated. So he wouldn´t escape. Of course. It was so obvious. Ewing had no idea how he could have forgotten something as crucial as this. Must be the double shifts, he mused.

...

"I found her." Juliet cried from behind Henry Spencer´s old computer. The others immediately started to gather around her. "Shana Stockwell." she read off the information she´d found. "General attendant of a senator Daniel Archer. Graduated from Harvard University. Her record is totally clean, not even a ticket for false parking."

"Any known siblings?" Lassiter asked, leaning on her seat to look over her shoulder.

"One. A sister. Emily Stockwell. She was reported missing five years ago. The case was never solved. No one ever raised a pledge, she just … vanished. … Here´s a picture."

Everybody seemed to bow forward a little, to see the photo better. But it was only one reaction that caught her attention. And not only hers.

"Noah?" Lassiter frowned at the paling of the Company man.

Bennet´s eyes were still on the picture on Juliet´s screen.

"Do you know her?" she asked him.

"I met her once." he nodded. "Only one time … before she died."

"What happened?"

"A plane crash happened."

"A plane crash." Lassiter repeated, not sure what to do with this answer.

Bennet nodded. "It was a transport plane. A group of people with abilities were about to be transported to a holding facility."

"People like him?" Lassiter asked, pointing at Sylar.

The killer had kept his distance so far. He was leaning against the couch, watching them quietly.

"No." Bennet denied. "Normal people. Normal besides the fact that they had supernatural abilities."

"Did they commit any sort of crimes?" Gus asked with a frown.

"No."

"Did they get a trial?"

"No."

"Then why were they on that plane?"

"Because they were different, Guster." Bennet burst out at last. "That´s why. That´s the only reason why we did this."

"We. So you were a part of all this?" Gus snapped. "You rounded people up and locked them away just because they were different?" When Bennet only looked at him, he shook his head. "You racist bastard." he growled. "People like you should be the ones that get locked away like that."

He was about to grab Bennet´s collar, but Lassiter stepped between them, just in time.

"Wow. Stand back, Guster, all right?" he demanded and when he was sure Gus would stand down, he turned his head to Noah. "Is that true?" he demanded to know.

"It is." the Company man admitted and Gus would have tried to grab him again, if it hadn´t been for Lassiter.

"It was a government program." Bennet started an explanation. "And you can believe me that I was not there by choice."

"So what?" Gus snapped. "You were just following orders?"

"Exactly. I had a daughter to protect, a daughter that would have been on one of those planes if I hadn´t done what they wanted."

"That doesn´t make it right." Sylar spoke up, for the first time since the whole thing had started. He´d left his place at the couch and stepped forward. "What you did with those people was wrong."

"Oh, look at this." Bennet spoke. "A murderer who talks about Miranda rights."

"But he´s right." Gus supported him, still heated in that argument. "Those transports were nothing better than slave ships. And don´t you dare to correct me on this." he cried, pointing a warning finger at Shawn, who wisely closed his mouth again "Who sanctioned this so called program?" Gus demanded to know.

The Company man cocked an eyebrow at him. "The President." he revealed, and Gus´ mouth dropped open.

For a moment it was dead silent in the room.

"I think that explains why Shana wants him to die." Lassiter spoke up at last, recalling what Suresh had told them on the phone, only a few minutes ago.

"It still doesn´t make much sense though." Bennet objected.

"Why?"

"Because it was Nathan who was leading that program. It was his idea."

"Didn´t you say that he was a Special too?" Shawn recalled, frowning confused.

"That was a detail he knew to avoid."

"But … why would he do that?"

"To be totally honest with you … I don´t know." Bennet shook his head. "He thought he was doing the right thing. Many of these abilities were dangerous and they still are. He´s the best example for that." he glanced at Sylar again.

The killer narrowed his eyes. "Funny that I never was on one of those planes though." he spoke. "But Peter was. And Hiro. And Mohinder. And dozens of other people who hadn´t done anything wrong."

"You´re hardly the one to judge what we did."

"I´m not?" Sylar snapped, walking in on Bennet, who didn´t hesitate to stand up and face him. Shawn and Gus instinctively skipped back.

"Dude, is he serious?" Shawn whispered, regarding this standoff.

"I think he is." Gus replied, as stunned as Shawn.

Juliet stepped between the two men. "Stop it." she demanded, giving each of them a sharp look. "We are not here to fight each other, okay?"

But in the end it was Henry who ended the standoff, simply by returning to the living room, after he´d taken care of Janice Parkman and her son. When he saw what was going on, he stopped dead in his tracks, a scandalized expression on his face.

"Lassiter take that gun down." he demanded. "You´re in my living room for god´s sake."

The detective obeyed, with some reluctance.

Henry stepped forward. "What is going on here?" he demanded to know.

Bennet kept staring at Sylar, holding his gaze, before he finally turned his back on him.

"Nothing." he said and simply sat down again, as if nothing happened.

No one in the room objected.