Moral Obligations, Chapter Six: Second Chances
They let Peter go. At least, that was the simple version. It took them more than a day, during which Peter was briefed and threatened with just about everything under the sun if he so much as breathed the truth about the government’s little program. It was silly - the word was already out - but they did it anyway.
At the end, he walked away a free man, or as free as he’d been before. No one is ever really free, he reflected as he exited the cab and headed up to his apartment. There’s always … obligations, responsibilities, things you have to do. He gave a deep sigh, standing in front of his door and noting that the damage from the bag team had been fully repaired. They’d promised that, but it was still surprising to see they’d delivered.
Not for the first time, he considered his mixed feelings about the whole thing. Kirby Plaza had been a simple moral equation - kill millions of innocents, or sacrifice himself. It was an easy decision, one that even Sylar, drowning in blood himself at that time, had comprehended, sadistically volunteering to assist Peter with the inevitable end. It was Claire, though, in whose hands Peter had placed his life - or rather, his death.
The next world-shattering event had been more difficult for him to find the right path, but ultimately the choice was no less black and white. He had to sacrifice his chance to be with Caitlin, he had to let her die in a future that would never exist for him, in order to save 93% of the world’s population from the virus. The math was overwhelming, even if the toll it took on his heart was higher.
After that he’d had to parse philosophical issues of control and power with his father and brother, then tackle the daunting task of forgiving the unforgivable with Sylar. He’d never lost track of his moral compass, but the landmarks had become foreign and he wasn’t going to pretend that things were simple anymore. It was a complicated world, with complicated issues. When he’d watched Claire jump from the Ferris wheel, he’d had no idea if what she was doing was right or wrong.
He walked in, put his stuff up, and lay down to take a nap. He’d been up all night and was dead tired. He’d already called his work, told them his niece had had an accident and he’d had to go help her. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to Claire before he’d left, but her words rang in his ears: ‘Is it so wrong for me to be selfish? I'm the only person I have.' Peter turned from back to side and back again, his body mirroring his thoughts that refused to let him rest.
The thing about obligations and responsibilities was that a person got to choose whether they fulfilled them. Perhaps it was a measure of a person’s character, if they were a good or bad person, in how much they did that they were supposed to do - if a parent took good care of their kids, or a dutiful child looked after their parents in the parent’s old age, or if they held a job that allowed them to be a productive and helpful member of society - if they contributed; giving, rather than taking. Perhaps it was. But that didn’t change that people got to choose whether to be good or bad … or somewhere in between. Peter had been allowed choices, over and over. Even if the fate of the whole world, or the fate of a single, formerly blackened soul, had hung in the balance, Peter had had the freedom of choice. It was something he intended to give Claire. Having found an answer and some order to the swirling chaos of his mind, he finally closed his eyes.
Peter didn’t sleep long. Even though he’d told his work he wouldn’t be in until tomorrow, he had things he had to do today. When he woke, he called Hiro. He had a favor to ask and it was bigger than just borrowing the man’s ability.
XXX
Claire was minding her own business in her room when a dark-clad male figure in a Guy Fawkes mask appeared at her side and reached out to touch her elbow. She was too stunned to act. A second later, the room vanished, to be replaced by a nondescript alley after a short jaunt through the teleportational ether. Claire looked at her rescuer, her brows furrowed. “Peter?” Claire asked tentatively, sizing him up and stepping away from him.
Peter took off the mask he’d been wearing. He’d had a choice between a Guy Fawkes or a ski mask. Peter thought the ski mask made him look like a thief or a robber. He felt he was doing something right, ultimately, so the Guy Fawkes mask it was. He hoped it would protect his identity. He’d still be a suspect, of course, but they would be able to prove nothing. He was gambling they had enough respect for the law that proof mattered. And if he was wrong, well, then he would worry about that then.
One of the large wooden doors nearby opened and Hiro stepped out. “Peter!” he exclaimed brightly and then nodded just as cheerfully to Claire. “Cheerleader!”
Claire smiled at Hiro, then looked up at the building, then at the bits of skyline she could see at each end of the alley. “I’m not in Kansas anymore,” she muttered.
Peter grinned, happy to hear a joke from her, and said, “No. Tokyo.”
Hiro waved them both towards him. “Come inside! I did not have a chance to show Peter earlier, so now I show both of you.”
Claire looked up at Peter and gave him a sly, grateful smile. “Thank you,” she murmured with great depth of feeling as they walked inside Hiro’s secret hideout.
“No problem,” Peter answered just as quietly. Actually, it was probably going to be quite a bit of a problem, but he was willing to take that chance if it meant knowing Claire was safe and in control of her own body again. He might not agree with her choices, but she had a right to them, and to chart her own course in life.
They walked along slowly and listened while Hiro excitedly told them about the history of the firehouse-turned-lair. He showed them the small kitchen and a couple rooms he’d set up in case anyone needed to sleep there. They ended the tour back out in the main garage, next to a bank of computer screens. “And this,” Hiro said grandly, “this is base camp. Ando and I would like to move our phone hotline out here, so someone here can coordinate while we go save people.”
Claire’s brows rose at the hopeful way Hiro was smiling at her.
Peter decided he really needed to explain things before she felt she was being manipulated into another trap. “Claire, I’ve explained everything to Hiro - what they were doing to you, where you were, what they know. He’s agreed to help you get a new life started here. If that’s not what you want, I can take you somewhere else, anywhere else you want to be. I was thinking that in another country, you could start over and make your own decisions. If you decide to help people …” Peter trailed off, not sure what he should say. It was her life. She could do what she wanted with it. He didn’t think he should even be making suggestions.
Hiro nodded, saying, “Ando and I are big heroes, like Batman and Robin!” He leaned forward conspiratorially, eyes alight. “We need an Alfred!”
Claire laughed a little. “I could use a job, though I don’t think I’m up to Alfred Pennyworth’s standards.”
Hiro clapped with glee. “You know Batman comic books?”
“I worked in a comic store for a little while,” she said with an easy grin. “So yes, you pick up a few things.”
Hiro beamed excitedly at Peter. “This is perfect! I must tell Ando!” He hurried off, pulling out his phone.
Claire turned and looked up at Peter, a small, knowing smile on her face. “I should never have doubted you,” she said.
Peter leaned one hip against the desk of the ‘base camp’ and said, “You wanted a brave new world, right? I know this isn’t going to be easy. You’re going to have to start all over again.”
She snorted. “I’ve had to do that often enough.” Claire turned and surveyed the place. It was strange, but not unwelcoming. She could already see a lot she could do. “You know,” she said softly, “with Ando’s ability to supercharge me, I should be able to help a lot more people than I could before.”
Peter blinked several times. “I … uh … I hadn’t thought of that.”
She looked back at him and raised a brow, but his expression was as startled as his tone of voice. “And with Hiro’s, I can help them anywhere.”
Peter began to grin, immensely pleased at the way her mind was working. “Wow. Yeah … yeah, I guess you could.”
Claire walked over to him and put her arms around him, giving him a long, tight hug. He wrapped his arms around her briefly in return. “Thank you so much for getting me out of there,” she murmured against his chest and his arms tightened for a moment in response. She stepped away before it could get awkward. She looked up at him and said, “You know what? You are still totally my hero.”
Peter laughed and blushed a little. His gratitude that she was taking this so well was nearly overwhelming, and he felt like breathing a huge sigh of relief. He had succeeded and Claire was going to be okay - for now, anyway. Peter smiled tenderly, knowing they were bound to find trouble sooner or later, but he had faith that together, they would triumph. And if not, then he, and Gabriel if necessary, were only a phone call away if ever help was needed.
Just then, Hiro came bustling back over. He looked momentarily troubled. “Ando was not happy I woke him up,” his expression cleared as he went on, “but he said he would come by first thing in the morning. It is 3 AM here now.” Hiro turned to Peter. “Are you staying, too?”
“No,” Peter said, shaking his head. “I gotta go. I have … obligations. But thanks. I’ll make sure to come visit.” He walked over and put a hand on Hiro’s shoulder. “Take good care of her.”
“Of course, Peter,” Hiro said, letting his voice stray back into a more mature, reserved tone that reminded Peter of the first time he’d ever met this man, or at least a future version of him, on the subway in New York, years before.
Peter nodded and looked back at Claire, giving her a wink. She grinned and he teleported out.
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