ataraxion | 001. video; Public Service Announcement

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.

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[ The truth of it is he was terrified of himself for a long while, and made a point to isolate himself from people exactly for the reason he's arguing against at the moment, so really, he's the least qualified person to be having this conversation. He speaks monotone, tone blank. ]

'Cause my power's a part of me. Would you be afraid of your arm?

I'd be afraid of it if it could spontaneously set on fire. Turn flesh and bone to ice, like a companion of mine can. She killed a man. By accident. Got upset, frightened, and just like that he's dead.

Look, I'm not saying I like it. My family are people with powers. My brother, my daughter, my own parents. But if I wanna protect them, and save the world, I can't just close my eyes and pretend this stuff just goes away. None of us can.

[ Oh fuck off, Nathan Petrelli, stop punching him in the feelings, it hurts. The muscles in his jaw tighten at 'killed a man, by accident', and Alex glances to the side. ]

That's not protecting them. That's shoving them in a corner and hoping you can make due trying to change their nature. [ He looks back up to the camera. ]

In my world? People like me stopped a world war. How's that put us on the scale of worth having around?

Edited 2012-05-10 04:04 (UTC)

[ He shrugs slightly. ]

I couldn't say. I wasn't there.

[ Which means he's not judging. ]

What happens when people find out about us. Not when they're told, but if they happen to find out by accident? What happens then?

[ You kept saying 'us' and he literally fell into it like it was a trap. ]

[ He shrugs ] Hope they're good enough people they try to understand before they try to kill us off? How's it that different from--

[ Pause. Eyebrow lift. ]

...'us'?

[ Fuck. ]

Turn of phrase.

[ Now he actually is lying, and he shakes his head hard. ]

Damn it.

[ Staaaring. Eyes narrowed. And now there's an incredulous sort of laugh. ]

Bullshit. You're just scared.

Edited 2012-05-10 04:35 (UTC)

[ And he was doing so well. He leans forward, almost switching off the feed, but reins himself in and leans back, looking decidedly uncomfortable. ]

And if I am?

[ Alex chews at the inside of a cheek for a moment, considering. He has half a mind to say 'grow a fucking spine' and be done with it, but... ]

Then you're normal. [ He shrugs, looking down. ] But you can't make other people's decisions for them like that.

Actually that's the whole damn point of being elected as a representative of the people. I was given a job to do to protect those people - all of them, powered or not - and I knew full well I was gonna be vilified in the process, that my brother was gonna be top of the list of people wanting to break my face.

But it's my responsibility to think of the good of all Americans. They're my people too.

Yeah, to make laws on policies and shit. Not collecting people up and forcing them to erase something they were born with.

Let them have a choice.

I'm not saying that it's the best way. God knows I've looked into others, and I've got an open mind. But sooner or later someone's going to do something in front of a news crew, the same way I almost revealed my powers to the world, and then no-one's gonna be able to stop it. No-one's gonna be able to stop people from getting hurt, or the worst possible futures from coming true.