001. video; Public Service Announcement

[cargojet]

Guessing everyone's feeling a little closer to compos mentis now. Great, that's gonna make this a whole lot easier.

My name is Nathan Petrelli. I'm Senator for New York, elected representative of the people, and recently made Head of Homeland Security by the President himself. It's my job to do what's in the best interests of the people, and in this case I figure that's gonna be easier said than done.

I don't want any of you to worry. Once I get up to speed on the details of what's going on here, I intend to get to the bottom of how we got here, why we were brought here, and how to go about getting back. And I mean how and why, not the bullshit they've been feeding you about jumping and wormholes and the ship needing a crew. There's a malicious intent here I'm gonna address, and then I'm getting everyone back where we belong.

I realise we're not all Americans here, and maybe you think I have no jurisdiction, but I earned the right to intervene the moment I woke up with a tube shoved down my throat, just like everyone else. I want to speak to people who know the most about this place, or be directed toward them. Captain Kirk: you're on my list for starters, but I'd rather speak to the real Captain, rather than some washed up wannabe.

Oh, and before I wrap this up, there's one other thing. A few of you will have spoken to my brother, Peter; he got here during the 'jump' previous to this one, and as I understand it he's been pretty liberal with his imagination ever since. Some time ago my brother convinced himself that he could fly. He stood on top of a twelve story building one day, called me up and told me he was going to show me he could do it. He jumped, and he fell - fortunately only as far as the fire escape - and a couple days later woke up in the hospital with minor injuries. It wasn't long after my father's death, right in the middle of my run for Congress, and I guess he was desperate for attention.

What I'm trying to say is that he's had brushes with depression before - it runs in the family - and he's not exactly stable right now. All of this doesn't make it any easier. If everyone could please be delicate with him, take what he says with a grain of salt, and inform me if it sounds like he's planning to do something that might hurt himself or others. I appreciate it.

Comments

video; oh my god i am so sorry for erik right now

[swagneto]

[ 'Rounding up specials'. Nevermind that Nathan may be one of them, at this point it's irrelevant, because Erik's single track mind horns in on the one phrase that has been a part of his life since he was twelve and interned at Auschwitz; the one phrase he has warned Charles again, had seen it was happening, only to see it occur. Not just in his own world, but Peter's own; Peter whom Erik had only just met and spoken to, and he really doesn't need to hear it again. ]

Mankind has rounded up others once before. [ Erik says flatly; he shouldn't be surprised in the slightest, and he isn't. ] Don't you pathetic humans ever learn anything?

video; private; threadjacking the hell out of this

[theshabbiestofmen]

Don't say anything you'll regret, Magneto.

video; private

[swagneto]

[ Oh no you don't, Remus. He does not need a voice of reason right now. ]

What's there to regret, Lupin? He's made his views quite apparent.

video; private

[theshabbiestofmen]

The rest of the ship's opinion of you, for starters. I don't agree with him either, but threatening him is not going to help your reputation right now. Or do I have to remind you Alayne is still recovering?

video; private

[swagneto]

[ Damn it. ]

I know she's recovering. [ He says after a while taking a breath to calm himself down for the sole purpose of speaking to him; Erik is still angry, he won't deny that, but for the sake of someone he trusts, Erik holds back just a slight bit. ]

But I have never once cared what others think of me. I'm not here to make friends, [ Nevermind the fact that he has. ] but to return home.

video; private

[theshabbiestofmen]

There's a difference between having friends and making enemies.

[He sighs.]

I'm not asking you to back down. Simply to watch what you say. Please, Magneto.

video; private

[swagneto]

[ All things considered, he should. Remus is offering him sound advice and reckless as Erik can be from time to time, it's enough of an indication that maybe he needs to be aware; as imposing and aggressive as Erik is, he's not foolish enough to earn the wrath of everyone on board a ship of this magnitude. ]

And what if I only tell the truth?

video; private

[theshabbiestofmen]

In a calm tone of voice. Please. There's nothing wrong with being honest, or taking people to task, but to make yourself seem an enemy--

video; private

[swagneto]

Remus, where I come from, I am the enemy.

[ There's a slight shake of his head at that; it's complicated to say the least. ]

It's no different now, unfortunately.

video; yeah as I wrote it I was like jesus nathan no don't do it

[cargojet]

So I'm a Nazi now? You want to throw any more insults at me, or are you done yet?

You don't have the slightest idea what the circumstances were like, what the political landscape was like, or the threats to all involved. The dangers of exposure, and what that would lead to. Suspicion, people shooting each other in the street for being different.

We had a solution, and then Peter charged in and blew it all to smitherines.

[ Solution. He just keeps digging, I'm sorry. ]

video; lajksdl i love your nathan though this is perfect

[swagneto]

I don't need to know.

[ Political climates can change, situations can vary, and Erik is at least glad Nathan picked up the reference, because it cannot get more obvious than that. It's also a good thing Erik is incapable of technology cause right now he'd be trying to cross reference Nathan's name with an ID and trying to hunt him down.

Later though. ]

No, your solution was holding them captive, because you believed them to be a threat. [ He's been reading everything else at least. ] That is not a solution.

video; none of my characters will ever like mags it's like a rule

[cargojet]

[ Later indeed. ]

Until we found a way to cure it.

And they are a damn threat. You're a threat now, aren't you? That look in your eyes? So don't tell me people with abilities are harmless when you're on the verge of being anything but all on your own.

video; w/e w/e makes up for the best cr ever

[swagneto]

The only reason I'm threat right now, Senator, is because of men like you, intent on hunting us down, rounding us up like cattle for experimentation.

[ At this point Erik isn't even arguing about his kind, so much as the implication is there that he's lived through World War II; whether or not Nathan makes that connection is up to him. ]

There is nothing to cure about us, and there never will be.

video; it does it does

[cargojet]

Maybe that's the way it is where you're from. It doesn't make your way right and ours wrong. If we can find a cure, then life is gonna be a lot easier for everyone involved, and not just people without abilities, but people with them too, who can go back from being afraid of themselves and for themselves and live normal lives again.

Frankly that'd be a godsend. And whether or not you think it's acceptable for me to do it makes no difference. I'm going back to my home when this is over, and you're going back to yours, and what happens is gonna happen.

video

[swagneto]

Who are you to define what's normal about us in the first place? If anything, you should be proud of who you are and what you can do, rather than try and change them.

[ Sorry Nathan, no matter what you say, the logic in that makes next to no sense at all to Erik. ]

If none of this matters to you, why even bother with the arguments in the first place? All you're doing is wasting my time and everyone else's here with your constant instigation.

video

[cargojet]

I didn't make this about my home life, or didn't you notice? Peter was the one who brought that to the table. You think I wanted to spend my time avoiding being a martyr for a cause that doesn't even matter here? You're not the only one wasting your time.

But before you quit this conversation there's one more thing: I didn't catch your name.

text | ENCRYPTION 100%

[wiretap]

[ Eyes and ears, Erik. ]

am i needed?

text | ENCRYPTION 100%

[swagneto]

Keep an eye on him.

[ Perfect timing. ]

text | ENCRYPTION 100%

[wiretap]

[ The girl likes her job. ]

certainly loud enough.

text | ENCRYPTION 100%

[swagneto]

Just because he's loud, doesn't mean he isn't private.

text | ENCRYPTION 100%

[wiretap]

privacy doesn't exist around people like me.

[ A metahuman who can hear a whisper in another country, who can hear a pulse quicken when a person tells a lie. And a hacker who can make her way under, over, and through most of the security systems native to her homework.

It's not an exaggeration. ]

[not here]

[cargojet]

[ In that case enjoy your superpowers. ]

[also not here]

[cargojet]

[ But maybe pretend not to hear that bit about Sylar I don't want to mess with the mun's plans. Superhearing is a bitch. ]

text | ENCRYPTION 100%

[swagneto]

[ He doesn't question it. Erik has already given up enough of himself to her, that the specifics no longer matter; she's one of them. ]

Good. I'd be concerned about my own privacy, but I think we've already established that.

text | ENCRYPTION 100%

[wiretap]

i respect your privacy.

[ And that isn't a trade, or a bargaining chip on the table. It just is. A sign of respect. ]

sometimes.

[ Then: ]

i'll brief you later.
and the other petrelli?