Heroes: Incognito (10/12)
Sep. 26th, 2010 06:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lotus0kidRating: PG-13 (a little language, a little violence, a little sex)
Word Count: 816
Disclaimer: Heroes characters belong to Tim Kring.
A/N:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
heroes_bigboom fic. Thanks for the beta, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
visiblemarket!
Summary: Notorious-inspired AU set chronologically in S1, in which a past schism pits the Company against Primatech. To prevent Primatech from destroying New York City, Company agent Peter Petrelli enlists ex-agent Claude Rains.
Chapter Nine
Peter makes it to half-past seven before the worry that he might miss Claude drives him back out to the park.
He’s still kicking himself for losing the finding ability when he makes it to the bench and sees René waiting instead of Claude. Seeing the look on the man’s face sends a terrible numbness spreading through Peter as he slows to a halt. “... René? What are you doing here?”
“The Company sent me to guard Claire Bennet,” he says in his soft, accented voice. “Primatech instructed Claude Rains to kidnap her to prove his loyalty. In the course of protecting her, his true motivations were exposed. I believe he has fled.”
Peter can only stare at him for a moment. “You- you believe. You don’t know?”
René considers this, and shakes his head. However, his expression tells Peter that his belief is backed by strong evidence.
“Claire’s safe, right?”
He nods. “Her family will be evacuated tonight.”
“Okay...” Peter looks away, mind scrambling to come to grips with the situation.
“Come with me, Peter.”
“No,” he says, turning back to René. “He might come back, he... We don’t know what happened to him. I’m his partner- I can’t leave.”
“Peter, the Company must decide a new plan for your assignment.”
“And we’ve been saying this whole time that we need Claude to complete the assignment. So, I’m gonna find him.”
René watches him silently, and Peter prays he doesn’t ask where Claude is right now. Instead, he says, “I suggest calling your brother.” Then, with the slightest hint of a smile, “But not right away.”
Peter watches him walk off, wondering if anyone would ever figure the Haitian out. Then he sits down on the bench and tries to think of a productive way to channel his growing panic. He wouldn’t just run. He would come find me and tell me what happened.
Peter sighs, already he’s basing his assumptions on optimism instead of fact. But he has precious few facts to use. Claude’s cover is blown, so there’s no way for him to even try to continue the job, unless he’s gone back to the previous plan of infiltrating Primatech covertly, which would be insane. And anyway, if that was the case, Peter feels in his gut that Claude would have come to tell him.
Peter goes back to his hotel to see if Claude’s waiting for him there. After a little while with no sign, anxiety carries him back to the park. This process continues over the next few hours. Every time his mind whispers that this is all just proof that Claude has cut ties and bolted, Peter feels a fresh surge of certainty that the man wouldn’t do that, not to him. And then there’s the other thought, the one that chokes Peter’s breath and chills his heart. By midnight, sitting in his empty hotel room, Peter finally starts to accept that it might be true.
Claude didn’t escape. He’s been captured. Peter picks up his cell phone.
Nathan answers on the first ring, “Peter, are you with René?”
“No.”
“Why not? We have to regroup now that Claude’s gone. You have t-”
“Nathan.”
“What?”
“You think Claude ran?”
“Well of course he ran, Peter. His cover was blown, what possible reason could he have to stick around?”
“... I don’t think he ran, Nathan. I think he was captured.”
There’s a pause, and Peter winces as his brother asks the obvious question, “Okay, what’s your proof?”
“I know René saw him run, but he didn’t see him escape. And, well...”
“Oh let me guess,” Nathan says. “You don’t think he would leave without saying goodbye? That’s absurd and you know it.”
Anger surges up sharp, “Claude’s my partner, Nathan! He said so himself. He wouldn’t just run. There has to be a reason he didn’t come back and I...”
“Pete, listen-”
“I’m going to find him. I’m going to Primatech. I have the invisibility- if Claude could do it, so can I.”
“Peter, are you hearing yourself? This is nuts! You’re going on a suicide mission based on nothing more than wishful thinking!”
“I’m doing this with or without your help, Nathan. It’s your choice.”
“I am not going to risk other agents’ lives so you can indulge a fantasy. Don’t you remember what it was like last year? Do you really want to go through that again?”
Fear floods through Peter’s anger so quickly he almost gasps. He could shut his eyes and see the cell walls again, feel his helplessness. He swallows hard. “No, I don’t.”
He hears Nathan sigh, “Exactly. Thank god we got that set-”
“So I better not get caught.” Peter hangs up, and turns off the phone. Sits on the bed rocked with a feeling of what he knows is pure adolescent rebellion. It doesn’t make it any less sweet. “I’m coming, Claude.”
Chapter Eleven
Word Count: 816
Disclaimer: Heroes characters belong to Tim Kring.
A/N:
heroes_bigboom fic. Thanks for the beta, visiblemarket!Summary: Notorious-inspired AU set chronologically in S1, in which a past schism pits the Company against Primatech. To prevent Primatech from destroying New York City, Company agent Peter Petrelli enlists ex-agent Claude Rains.
Chapter Nine
Peter makes it to half-past seven before the worry that he might miss Claude drives him back out to the park.
He’s still kicking himself for losing the finding ability when he makes it to the bench and sees René waiting instead of Claude. Seeing the look on the man’s face sends a terrible numbness spreading through Peter as he slows to a halt. “... René? What are you doing here?”
“The Company sent me to guard Claire Bennet,” he says in his soft, accented voice. “Primatech instructed Claude Rains to kidnap her to prove his loyalty. In the course of protecting her, his true motivations were exposed. I believe he has fled.”
Peter can only stare at him for a moment. “You- you believe. You don’t know?”
René considers this, and shakes his head. However, his expression tells Peter that his belief is backed by strong evidence.
“Claire’s safe, right?”
He nods. “Her family will be evacuated tonight.”
“Okay...” Peter looks away, mind scrambling to come to grips with the situation.
“Come with me, Peter.”
“No,” he says, turning back to René. “He might come back, he... We don’t know what happened to him. I’m his partner- I can’t leave.”
“Peter, the Company must decide a new plan for your assignment.”
“And we’ve been saying this whole time that we need Claude to complete the assignment. So, I’m gonna find him.”
René watches him silently, and Peter prays he doesn’t ask where Claude is right now. Instead, he says, “I suggest calling your brother.” Then, with the slightest hint of a smile, “But not right away.”
Peter watches him walk off, wondering if anyone would ever figure the Haitian out. Then he sits down on the bench and tries to think of a productive way to channel his growing panic. He wouldn’t just run. He would come find me and tell me what happened.
Peter sighs, already he’s basing his assumptions on optimism instead of fact. But he has precious few facts to use. Claude’s cover is blown, so there’s no way for him to even try to continue the job, unless he’s gone back to the previous plan of infiltrating Primatech covertly, which would be insane. And anyway, if that was the case, Peter feels in his gut that Claude would have come to tell him.
Peter goes back to his hotel to see if Claude’s waiting for him there. After a little while with no sign, anxiety carries him back to the park. This process continues over the next few hours. Every time his mind whispers that this is all just proof that Claude has cut ties and bolted, Peter feels a fresh surge of certainty that the man wouldn’t do that, not to him. And then there’s the other thought, the one that chokes Peter’s breath and chills his heart. By midnight, sitting in his empty hotel room, Peter finally starts to accept that it might be true.
Claude didn’t escape. He’s been captured. Peter picks up his cell phone.
Nathan answers on the first ring, “Peter, are you with René?”
“No.”
“Why not? We have to regroup now that Claude’s gone. You have t-”
“Nathan.”
“What?”
“You think Claude ran?”
“Well of course he ran, Peter. His cover was blown, what possible reason could he have to stick around?”
“... I don’t think he ran, Nathan. I think he was captured.”
There’s a pause, and Peter winces as his brother asks the obvious question, “Okay, what’s your proof?”
“I know René saw him run, but he didn’t see him escape. And, well...”
“Oh let me guess,” Nathan says. “You don’t think he would leave without saying goodbye? That’s absurd and you know it.”
Anger surges up sharp, “Claude’s my partner, Nathan! He said so himself. He wouldn’t just run. There has to be a reason he didn’t come back and I...”
“Pete, listen-”
“I’m going to find him. I’m going to Primatech. I have the invisibility- if Claude could do it, so can I.”
“Peter, are you hearing yourself? This is nuts! You’re going on a suicide mission based on nothing more than wishful thinking!”
“I’m doing this with or without your help, Nathan. It’s your choice.”
“I am not going to risk other agents’ lives so you can indulge a fantasy. Don’t you remember what it was like last year? Do you really want to go through that again?”
Fear floods through Peter’s anger so quickly he almost gasps. He could shut his eyes and see the cell walls again, feel his helplessness. He swallows hard. “No, I don’t.”
He hears Nathan sigh, “Exactly. Thank god we got that set-”
“So I better not get caught.” Peter hangs up, and turns off the phone. Sits on the bed rocked with a feeling of what he knows is pure adolescent rebellion. It doesn’t make it any less sweet. “I’m coming, Claude.”
Chapter Eleven
