video;

[gabriel_gray]

[ On screen there is this very charismatic, neatly dressed newcomer. He might have some resemblance to some guy called Talbot, no idea who that is, or for others, perhaps, sounds a little bit like Iron Man. These things happen. But here he is, Nathan Petrelli, a pair of silver wings acting as his tie-pin and an American flag pin in his lapel, denoting his political office. He straightens his jacket briefly before addressing the network. ]

So what, no Kissinger? What I can't figure out is if this is real life, or we're starring in a version of reality where Tom Clancy was high when he wrote his Cold War novels. I mean, think about it, it could happen.

Kidnapping a US Senator, though. I'd like to say I'm impressed, but it's not like it would be the first time.

Okay, so I've got the basics. Superpowers, non-mandatory conscription, yadda yadda. Some information on the histori-political situation here would be a good start. Mostly I wanna know where it all went wrong. Did we do the Cuban Missile Crisis? 'Nam? Watergate?

[ Then, slightly more to himself: ] This time travel stuff is messed up... Uh-- [ Louder, and back to camera: ] One more thing, I'm dying for a decent cup of coffee. The swill they give you on a military base isn't even worth swallowing.

[ OOC: So this is Sylar, shapeshifted. He doesn't know he's not Nathan, thanks to certain telepaths funking with his brain, but if anyone's power is relevant please let me know! ]

Comments

[askedtobe]

You really want to talk about this over public broadcast?

But yeah, you gotta respect the time travel bullshit. Kind of a prerequisite around here.

[gabriel_gray]

You paranoid enough to think they're watching this?

[askedtobe]

[ ........... sigh. C'mon Nathan, Mr. Government. You should know the answer to these things. ]

Only because it's been proven that they are.

[gabriel_gray]

[ Big brother is always watching. He just wanted to call Peter paranoid. ]

Speaking of paranoid, they set me up with a bunch of powers that are...not as expected. You follow?

[askedtobe]

[ Such cruelty, geez. ]

Yeah, I didn't get mine either. What, they switch yours up with something else?

[gabriel_gray]

Something like that. Not something I wanna talk about on this thing.

Take me up on that cup of coffee?

[askedtobe]

Now who's paranoid.

Yeah, sure. I can come up with a few places. Where're you holed up?

[gabriel_gray]

Is it better you come to me? I don't know what you can do, but I can still - you know... [ Not at all subtle flying gesture. ]

[askedtobe]

[ WOW NATHAN. ] You pick up sign language recently?

But sure, long as you tell me where you are, I can get there in a minute.

[gabriel_gray]

This place in Heropa. Military. I declined the escort. So uh, let's see. [ He turns the screen. Beach beach beach lifeguard station fence. ] How's that for directions?

[askedtobe]

[ Uhhh okay squinting a little bit but trying to remember the image so that he can at least somewhat navigate to... there. ]

Give me an extra minute, but i'll find it. Stay put.

[gabriel_gray]

[ It's a beautiful beachfront. Of course that was pretty much what the whole land spur that is Florida was. Limestone covered with sand stretched out for hundreds of miles. Some of it swamp, some of it covered with grass, and then miles upon miles upon miles of sand and more sand.

So okay, finding Nathan was a case of flying in one direction until he was seen, and how many guys in suits did you really see standing on a beach? Realistically? ]

[askedtobe]

[ But beachfront is beachfront! It all looks the same, to a certain extent. But Peter at least somewhat knows what he's doing directionally these days - or, well, he should. He's been here long enough to know what place Florida is and it only takes a certain amount of scanning from high up before he can spot Nathan from a distance. Because it's Nathan and knowing how to find him in a crowd was always important. So, without a crowd: easy.

Descending and skidding to a sandy halt, Peter jogs the last few yards over, brushing off. ]

You doing okay?

[gabriel_gray]

[ Nathan doesn't give Peter even a second to recover from the flight. Within moments his arms are around him, and he's squeezing him into a tight, brotherly hug. ] Yeah, Pete. Yeah I'm doing okay. You okay? God, it's good to see you.

[askedtobe]

[ Oh. A Nathan hug. Somehow that's intensely unexpected and Peter blinks a few times, having forgotten the feeling of familiarity. What it feels like to remember home, to remember Nathan. Which makes him feel a touch guilty until he squeezes Nathan back and simply knows what it is to be a brother again. ]

Yeah, you too. It's been awhile- i'm fine. Didn't even know how much I missed you.

[gabriel_gray]

[ A Nathan hug. It's goddamn magical. He crams all his relief and brotherly love into it, and some of his superiority too - yeah, you know you needed this hug - and then he relaxes, lets it just be a hug, presses his hand to the back of Peter's head for a moment to make the gesture more intimate, and then finally eases away, so that he can look him in the face. ]

Well, I'm here now. And if you say we saved the day then it can wait--back home can wait.

[askedtobe]

[ Cram as much superiority in it that you want, Peter's not overly inclined to care much for the time being. If only because it's been months and while Peter revelled in the distance for awhile there, apparently he actually did miss Nathan. More than he realized, but now he knows and there's relief to it. That at least something's okay.

Offering a twitch of a smile, Peter nods, finally dropping his hold once Nathan does. ] We did. Sylar's taken care of, we all get to go back home. Except now we're stuck here.

[gabriel_gray]

[ His hands finally slip away. And there's a hint of a smile, which promises Nathan that maybe things will be okay after everything they've been through - done to each other, more like - over the last few months. It's been rough, but they've made it - against all the odds, even if it seems difficult for him to believe - and here they are.

Brothers again. It seems like such a long time since they've been able to call each other that. ]

Yeah, and it would be all the same except for how it's not. So you want my weird news or my weird news?

[askedtobe]

Guess I gotta go with your weird news. Can't be any weirder than anything else.

[ Peter plops his hands on his hips, intending to look impatient about the whole thing, though he comes off as more amused than anything. Mostly he's just content to be conversing with Nathan, feeling like the pressure's been taken off him for the first time in near half a year. ]

[gabriel_gray]

Weird news, then. That slip of paper they gave me when I arrived? It says I can fly, sure, we knew that...

[ But here's the weird bit. The bit he was hesitant talking about on the network: ]

Also says I have telekinesis and shapeshifting--I guess cause they're the last powers I came into contact with. They're Sylar's powers.

[askedtobe]

[ Peter doesn't mean to look... unimpressed but he only cringes for maybe a few seconds before realizing he was somehow expecting something way worse. Not that he has any idea what but, still. After his own momentary concern flutters off, Peter just tries to look unbothered. ]

Nathan, they're fucking with you. [ He claps his hand on Nathan's shoulder and gives it a gentle, hopefully reassuring shake. Trying to get the nerves out of his big brother. ] They gave me back my empathy for awhile. It doesn't mean anything.

Sure it's weird, but don't worry about it.

[gabriel_gray]

I won't worry about it. I won't worry that they put me in Sylar's house--I mean, his room, like it was some sorta sick joke to do it to me. What's the point of that?

[ But as worrying as it is, he's still mostly convinced it's all done to wind him up. Definitely. There's too much to it for it to be some accodent, and not enough for him to question it so much he gets to any useful answers. ]

So you uh...I'm guessing you're not living in the housing they set up for you. Video cameras watching your comings and goings? I can't see you standing for that.

[askedtobe]

You're serious. They put you in Sylar's place? I didn't even know he had a- look, it's not a big deal. We'll clean it up, it's fine.

[ But it's also overkill, as far as Peter's concerned. There's torturing someone and then there's torturing someone and Peter'd be horridly offended to be stuck in Sylar's apartment, just as much. Which only means he'll be dragging Nathan out of there as much as possible until he moves.

Until then, he's already pushing Nathan along. ] I was in the government housing for awhile, actually. Survived the surveillance. It's easier when you're just trying to get used to things, I guess.

[gabriel_gray]

It's not... You know, it looks like it's never been lived in, honestly. It doesn't matter.

[ He waved Peter's concern off. It just seemed like bad sense to him, like they were doing it on purpose to set him off. Irritating but it wasn't going to mess him up. ]

So where are you living now?

[askedtobe]

Course it doesn't matter - he never lived in it. [ Fine, fine; blow him off. Peter doesn't mind much either way, not overly concerned so much as worried for Nathan's concern. Or, at least his annoyance. Peter'd deal with it far worse... but Nathan was Nathan.

And Nathan wanted coffee. ]

Just an apartment off-site. Pay for it myself, no big deal.