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;

[cargojet]

[ Oh, he's heard that one before. Have a line from canon, Peter. And actually he's making a deliberate point: change the record. ]

Careful, Pete. That's our mother you're talking about.

video;

[askedtobe]

[ Peter just snorts. It's a good thing he has no idea where you are right now, Nathan, otherwise a punch to the face would seem friendly at this point. ]

You actually remember we've got one? The same one you almost got caught by Danko, huh.

video;

[cargojet]

[ He wishes he knew how to make this conversation private. ]

The same one that gave me the resources I needed to get started, Pete. The same mother that was involved with the Company all that time. She accepted her free pass, knew what I was doing.

Shouldn't we be having this conversation in the rain?

video;

[askedtobe]

[ Like he'd give you that courtesy. ]

You don't need to tell me that mom's just as corrupt as you are, but you're still the one who tried to get her caught. All you do is talk about family and you haven't done anything but help destroy ours.

But hey, even if we were having the conversation in the rain, this time you wouldn't have security guards to help you out. [ Peter doesn't know how he hasn't thrown his phone across the room yet. ] You actually think people are going to believe you?

Video;

[cargojet]

[ He'll work it out eventually. Somehow. He's not good with computers okay. ]

You're certifiable, Pete. Government conspiracies, special abilities? Come on, give me a break.

[ It might be more effective if he wasn't having this argument over video. ]

Video;

[askedtobe]

You'd love it if I actually was, wouldn't you. It'd make everything easier.

Because it's always all about you.

[ Peter's starting to get offended now, but no less angry, because there's a possibility that people might believe Nathan. They believed him back home, why wouldn't they now. It's not like he's spoken to everybody. ]

Video;

[cargojet]

[ Yes actually, it always is. ]

Ma and Pop did everything they could to lay opportunities out for both of us, Pete. You had tutors, good grades, they'd have put you into the best law school in the country, so don't pretend this was my fault - or theirs - when the only one responsible for your jealousy, and your inferiority complex, is you.

Video;

[askedtobe]

You know, if I really was depressed, can't say that anything you're saying would be helping any.

[ But he's not depressed, nor is he suicidal, and he's just shaking his head. He's so disturbed by who you've become, Nathan. You want to disown him so badly? Well he doesn't want to be your brother even more so. ]

I've never been jealous of you. Sure, yeah, you got all our parents attention. You were their golden boy. They've even told me so. And i'm the disappointment. But you actually think i'd want the attention of the man who's killed people in cold blood? Think i'm jealous of your job, of working for Danko? Because you're fooling yourself.

Even the nightly news was horrified by what you're doing back home. Think you're gonna try this again there, tell everyone in New York that i'm crazy? Because the press has footage. And that says more than any of your bullshit.

Video;

[cargojet]

First off, Danko works for me. And have you even stopped to listen to yourself? Wanna show everyone here that video? No, because it doesn't exist. Yes, I'm doing a job, but it's with the full backing of the President himself.

I'm sorry, Pete - I really am - and I wish I knew how to get you the help you need while you're here, but at least there's nothing to jump off this time, huh?

Video;

[askedtobe]

Danko doens't work for you. He stopped working for you when he decided the operation was his and he could kill whoever he wanted to. You'll figure that out once you stop lying to yourself.

[ Goddammit, stop insinuating he wants to kill himself, why are you so insufferable. ] Who're you trying to convince, Nathan. Me, or you? Because this worked so well the first time around. Think you're gonna convince everyone they're crazy because I have proof, and you don't have anything.

Video;

[cargojet]

[ He raises both eyebrows, in a sort of 'Look who's talking' kind of way. ]

[ Dryly. ] Because you've been to the future, and you know what it's like.

Video;

[askedtobe]

This doesn't have anything to do with going to the future. [ So agitated. ]

Video;

[cargojet]

That right, Pete? And how about all the times it was? All the times you came to me and said 'I've been to the future, I've seen it'?

video;

[evolved]

Impressive speech.

You know, you made it top five on my potentially guilty-list, but it turns out you're as much of a prisoner as the rest of us this time around. Funny how that works out, isn't it?

video;

[cargojet]

Don't even get me started on you. I'm saving how much of a threat you are for the next time I gotta have a chat with the people here.

I'd say it was nice to meet you, but I can't think of anyone I'd less like to be trapped on a "spaceship" with.

[ There are sarcastic airquotes around the word 'spaceship'. ]

video;

[evolved]

Looks like you and the others here just happened to draw the short straw, Senator.

You'll cause a panic, and we don't want that, do we? As I remember, keeping things under wraps until the problem is solved is usually how you operate.

video;

[cargojet]

[ Just for a second he bares his teeth, because the only way to convince people Peter really is crazy is to keep Sylar from throwing his powers around and proving otherwise. It should take him oh? Two seconds? ]

Then we both want the same thing, don't we? Your file says you're smart.

video;

[evolved]

I gave you friendly advice, that's all.

[ Nothing is stopping him from throwing his powers around; he'd just rather not have you announce the fact that a serial killer is on board over the ship's network, Nathan. Because that'd be inconvenient for everybody. ]

Think things over.

video;

[cargojet]

[ On the other hand it'd be the most challenging game of murder tag ever. ]

I've already made all my decisions, Sylar. There's nothing else to say.

[ The deliberate stress on 'say' is deliberate. He's keeping his mouth shut and wants Sylar to know it, doesn't particularly want to end up top of the list for a premature lobotomy. ]

video;

[askedtobe]

Because you're really gonna keep things under wraps, Sylar. [ So much sarcasm. Which is a snide way of saying that he's hoping Sylar's not going to do what Nathan's doing. ]

video;

[evolved]

[ Oh, he's not going to hide, Peter. ]

People are going to find out, but announcing my presence over the network would definitely be pushing it.

video;

[askedtobe]

Don't want to give everyone a show while you've got the opportunity?

[ Because that's what he thinks this is. Nathan just fluffing himself up because he can, and destroying Peter at the same time. ]

video;

[evolved]

I've never been one for shows. I'll leave that to your brother.

[ He doesn't really care about what Nathan does or doesn't do; it doesn't affect him too greatly unless he begins to speak about him specifically. They'll have a chat about that when -- and if -- it happens. ]

video;

[askedtobe]

Yeah well, he's a politician. He's better at giving them than anyone else. Question is if people'll be less willing to believe him here than they are back home.

[ Peter sounds unsurprisingly pissed off. Not that he really expects Sylar to listen, but that's not going to stop him from bitching. ]

video;

[evolved]

So far he's done a pretty good job, ridding himself of every credibility point he's earned.

[ Sylar intends to listen, actually -- he's not going to deny that he enjoys being somewhat in the middle of this, and trapped on a spaceship, barely allowed out of Peter's sight, there are few things that happen to maintain his interest. ]