Heroes, "The Devil and Her Treasures" chapter 9
Fandom: Heroes
Title: The Devil and Her Treasures
Author: paynesgrey
Artist: rebelle_elle
Word Count: 23,514
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Claire, Peter, Sylar, Elle, Noah Jr, Nathan, Rene, Danko, Knox, Daphne, Claire/Elle, Elle/Sylar, past Peter/Claire
Warnings character death, manipulation, implied incest, torture, violence, sexual situations
Notes: Written for heroes_bigboom. A huge thanks goes to bellonablack for the beta job. This is a sequel to my other fic, Grave New World, and takes place in the "exposed future" around the events of the “Second Coming” and “I am Become Death” episodes, as well as the “Resistance” online graphic novel chapter 106 (which I would recommend reading if you want some early chapters to make sense).
Summary: Renowned terrorist Peter Petrelli has been hiding Sylar, Elle and their son for a long time after Noah Bennet’s death, and when Pinehearst Agent Claire Bennet finally discovers them, they strike a deal to leave Sylar and his son alone, as long as Elle becomes Claire’s prisoner.
Link to art master post: HERE.
The Devil and Her Treasures
Chapter Nine: Turning Point
Something was wrong. Camped out at Peter’s last known appearance, Claire began to feel as though Peter wouldn’t show his place to this facility again. It made sense, and he wasn’t stupid. Keeping guards here was just a precaution, but she didn’t know if he’d ever come back here again.
“What are you thinking?” Daphne whispered in her ear, and Claire frowned as she met Daphne’s gaze.
“It’s not right. Peter’s not coming back here. I was thinking... If he goes back in time to prevent the future, why hasn’t it happened yet? How are we still here?”
“He hasn’t changed anything?” Knox answered behind her.
“Very likely. Which means Peter has some other plan to go back in the past,” Claire thought, and then she realized something about what Elle said, about how people change. Where in time did Peter go? Four years when the world found out? He did say that he was going to stop everyone from finding out about them. But what if it was more than that? What if Peter needed to find his past self and make him see the future so he could change it?
Both she and Peter were so different four years ago. They had actually been close and on speaking terms. Claire even remembered the feelings she once had for him. Now, they were a dull ache in heart, barely recognizable. Back then Claire would have done anything for Peter. He was her hero, and he was just the kind of guy his warped future self would seek.
“Knox, do we still have men stationed around all those graffiti paintings that Peter used to do to warn people of that explosion?” Claire asked.
Knox snorted. “Yeah, there’s a guy out there. But Claire, that’s a cold trail. Peter hasn’t shown his face around there since he did those paintings, and he’d be stupid to show his face there again. He knows we’re watching him to come back to his artwork.”
“Exactly. He’ll go back there because we’ve let our guard down,” she said, turning to them. “But not only that... to show someone what he’s painted.”
“The whole world knows about those paintings. Only the religious nut jobs believe them. They’ve been in magazines, the Internet, but only fringers really believe that - and the terrorists Peter works with,” Daphne said, crossing her arms and looking at Claire as though she was stupid. “It’s a dead end.”
“Not everyone. Not someone from the past,” Claire said. Daphne looked at her with confusion, but in a moment, Knox seemed to get it. He narrowed his eyes.
“Shit, he’s bringing someone back from the past,” Knox said. “I’m on it. Let’s move out.”
“Find me Rene. If we’re going to catch Peter and kill him, we’re going to need him to muzzle his powers so he can’t time travel again,” Claire said, throwing a glance to Knox who called for the Haitian next.
Claire was already on her phone to Nathan about her plans, and she marched off with Daphne and Knox following swiftly behind her.
xxxxx
It all happened so fast. One moment she had him - her Peter, and he was dead just as she had promised the President. The past Peter had complicated things, but she had realized his presence early enough to get at least one Peter. Claire knew, however, Nathan wouldn’t satisfied until she killed Peter for good - both Peters, and he would use Elle against her to make sure she was thorough.
Both Peters had to die, but it wasn’t that easy. Claire never knew that Peter would involve the past one with Sylar. She’d seen it herself. Sylar hadn’t even wanted to deal with the past Peter, but he couldn’t escape it. Claire told him what she’d do to him if he’d ever help Peter again.
And then, Knox had inadvertently killed Sylar’s son - Elle’s son, and then all hell broke loose.
She didn’t bet on anyone besides Peter dying. She didn’t want the kid to die too, and though the world was probably better off without Sylar, that was not part of the plan either. After that explosion and all those people died because Sylar lost control, Claire felt a sense of remorse and anger for those deaths.
She didn’t want to take part in any of the blame; this was Peter’s game. Even beyond his death, her uncle was vicious and cruel.
Knox was dead. Daphne was missing, presumed dead from the encompassing explosion. Even Sylar was dead, and though Claire knew that he had her ability to come back, he didn’t regenerate. After first, this confused her. How could her ability not allow him to live? Claire scoffed. It was possible that Sylar understood her power better than she could, and he could will himself to die. Why not? He had nothing left to live for? His son was dead; his wife was a prisoner of Pinehearst, and as good as dead now that Peter had ruined everything.
Claire almost envied him; that he could still die after having her ability.
All those people in Costa Verde were dead too, and the person who was responsible was dead with them. But Claire knew of one other person who could take the blame. One Peter was left alive, and he would pay for playing a part in all this.
After all the times Claire’s wishes to torture Elle were denied, now she had a chance to take her anger and pain out on someone. Even if it wasn’t Elle, this Peter was at least a good substitute.
Taking Rene with her, Claire headed to the lab with an excited smile.
xxxxx
The President was dead. Her father - surprisingly too trusting of the past version of his brother, had succumbed to his wounds.
When Claire had seen his body around the frantic Secret Service, she noticed the trademark wound on his forehead right away.
“Sylar,” she said under her breath hauntingly. So that had been her uncle’s game. Learn Sylar’s power, and then what? Kill the President, his own brother, and then travel back in time? Knox had been wrong; Claire did fear something. She feared that this was it for her world. She was surprised things weren’t even more fucked up, but when Nathan’s VP strode in and laid his eyes on the body, he pursed his lips and sighed.
“Good God,” said Vice President Danko, and he shot a glare at the security detail. “Give this man some dignity! Clean this up! I’ll have to alert Congress and the Supreme Court,” he said, pausing and sighing again. “I’ll have to plan for a press conference and tell the American people.” He turned to Claire. “So was it Peter Petrelli?”
She nodded. “A past version. He must have slipped back in time.”
“Goddammit,” he said, pacing around the room. “I knew this proliferation was a bad move.”
Claire arched an eyebrow. She knew her father’s VP didn’t always agree on some issues, the selling of powers included. She supposed that was why Nathan chose Danko, who had been a rival at one time for the presidency. Nathan seemed to believe that he needed to orchestrate a team of rivals, and he got Danko as his VP. Claire shuddered, as she looked him over. Danko was a known opponent of Specials’ rights. He even refused a free shot of the formula, stating that he was proud to remain as a human. Claire never understood why Nathan chose him, other than a media move to show that people with abilities and those without them could work together in harmony.
What a load of crap, Claire thought. And now this guy was going to be our President?
“You don’t think this will change the proliferation, do you? My father wanted to expose the formula to the whole world. Costa Verde even changed Congress’s mind. Now, his own brother has killed him from the past,” Claire said, tilting her head and observing Danko’s reactions carefully. “How will the nation react to such a thing?”
“That is if we tell them everything,” Danko said as he rested his hands on his hips. Finally, the coroner had arrived and was wrapping up the scene and delicately handling the President’s body. Danko turned to Claire and she saw a strange emotion burning in his eyes. He obviously despised her and her kind on some level, and the hatred was starting to show through. “I have a lot of calls to make and set up a press conference. Until further notice, Pinehearst will be shut down.”
“Sir?” Claire said a little too loudly. “If anything, you need Pinehearst more than ever. People are going to be scared. There may be riots...”
“Do as I say,” he said, jabbing a finger at her. When the security detail followed him out, Claire stalked back to the other Peter - the one from her time, still dead on the metal slab. She gazed at his face, wishing he were here for one more minute so she could yell at him. “What have you done, Peter?” She sighed.
She didn’t know what Danko was planning, but it wasn’t good. She had a bad feeling about him, and she’d heard rumors that he’d wanted to shut down a lot of the Specials’ programs. He certainly was no fan of people with abilities or that they were available and exposed.
Now, he was shutting down Pinehearst in their most dire need for order and stability? Something still didn’t feel right. Despite Danko’s orders, Claire wasn’t going anywhere. She wasn’t going to leave Pinehearst when she could be needed.
Already she missed Knox and Daphne. She called Matt, hoping that Daphne had sped ahead of the blast and made it home safely. When Matt cursed her on the phone, she knew that Daphne hadn’t made it. His wife had managed to run home, but she’d died his arms.
Still, she didn’t regret using Molly, and she wouldn’t regret killing Peter. He’d messed up everyone, and now, he’d messed up Daphne’s family and Elle’s as well.
When Claire thought of Elle, she feared telling her about what happened to her husband and son, but she knew she’d have to eventually. Heading down the hallways of Pinehearst, Claire watched as people began following Danko’s and leaving. He’d scheduled a press conference in three hours, and people were rushing back home to see it.
Though, most everyone knew that the President was dead. The only real question here was what the new President was going to do about it.
Noticing Rene lingering in the halls, Claire strode over to him and looked up at one of the TVs against the walls. CNN had breaking news that the President had been killed in a terrorist attack, and they were already speculating motives, talking about leads, and clamoring for that moment when the VP would offer more news.
“What do you think is going to happen to us?” Claire asked him, and Rene stared at her grimly.
“I do not trust Danko,” he said simply. “He told us to leave, so we should leave. I do not think he will keep Pinehearst the same as it once was.”
“So you think he’s going to shut us down too?” she asked, and his silence confirmed his agreement. “Good. I’m not crazy then.”
“I think it will be far worse, Claire,” Rene said, and she hated to admit it, but he was probably right. This was bad. Her father had been a proponent of their kind and now he was dead, and the terrorists had won. She’d seen Danko’s past primary speeches. He thought their kind was dangerous, and Claire was betting he still did.
“Well, I guess we’ll see what that press conference is about,” Claire said, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall with her eyes glued to the TV. Rene remained at her side, and once in awhile, they would get distracted as people rushed by them, finally leaving the building empty except for them, a few of the Secret Service men, and the prisoners they had housed down below.
xxxxx
It was worse than she feared. The Vice President Danko would be sworn into office after the death of the late President Nathan Petrelli. Because his death was by a terrorist attack, Danko had convinced Congress to delay the proliferation of the formula to be sold to any common person. The abilities were too dangerous, and the former president had been blind to see the consequences, which cost him his life.
Danko was also proposing stricter laws and background checks for those who wanted to purchase abilities, and until further notice, the sale of these abilities would be delayed and frozen, until they reevaluate the repercussions and the future dangers of such powers.
“The first step I’m taking in honor of our fallen President is to bring justice to any terrorist we have holding at our Pinehearst facility. They will no longer be a danger to us or anyone else. I will make swift preparations for their immediate sentence and execution, given their crimes,” Danko said, and the crowd was silent. People were stunned, and others were in agreement with him out of grief.
The moment those words came out of his mouth, however, Claire could think of no one else but Elle.
Normally she wouldn’t care if any of those terrorists and criminals in Pinehearst’s jail were killed. In fact, she frequently argued with Nathan on how soft he was for keeping them alive in the first place. She often advised him to make an example of these criminals, that Pinehearst protected all citizens and dealt with those who broke the law accordingly.
She remembered the argument exactly, and suddenly, she felt stupid, hotheaded and impulsive. This was before she’d imprisoned Elle.
Moreover, this was before Elle had saved her and made her feel sensations again.
Claire left Rene without a word, dashing down the hallways to the elevator to the basement. She didn’t have time to think, but she knew she had to free Elle before Danko ordered her execution. Pinehearst was finished; she knew that it died with Nathan. Now, people like her were in trouble again, and she’d be stupid not to run now.
But she couldn’t leave without Elle.
“Shit,” she thought, and she remembered that Elle still didn’t know about her son and husband. Elle didn’t know that the world was in chaos on the outside, or that Pinehearst was no longer a threat to her.
Elle may not even believe her. She may not want Claire’s help. Claire wouldn’t blame her, but she had to try. She had no one else. Just Rene, but that didn’t mean she would give up on Elle when everyone else she knew was dead: Knox, Daphne, Nathan, and her family - even Peter. Damn, and she hated to admit that maybe Peter had been right all along. She didn’t have time to think about it or to philosophize that what he’d said about the future was starting to make sense.
It was too late for that now. Peter had messed up, and maybe, she had messed up too.
But there was still a chance to get away from mass chaos, and from a President who clearly wanted to collar them the moment Nathan was dead rather than let them remain free.
“Claire, wait!” she heard Rene’s voice behind her, and as she was stepping on the lift, he caught up with her.
“Let me go with you,” Rene said, and as always, Claire was grateful and touched by his loyalty.
“You understand what you’re asking, right? I’m going against President Danko. This is our only chance,” Claire said sternly, and she saw the determination in his eyes.
“Let’s go. We’re getting Elle, and then we run, understand?” Rene nodded against as the elevator doors closed before their descent. Claire glanced at his dark eyes. “Just like old times.”
xxxxx
Chapter Ten: Fugitives
Title: The Devil and Her Treasures
Author: paynesgrey
Artist: rebelle_elle
Word Count: 23,514
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Claire, Peter, Sylar, Elle, Noah Jr, Nathan, Rene, Danko, Knox, Daphne, Claire/Elle, Elle/Sylar, past Peter/Claire
Warnings character death, manipulation, implied incest, torture, violence, sexual situations
Notes: Written for heroes_bigboom. A huge thanks goes to bellonablack for the beta job. This is a sequel to my other fic, Grave New World, and takes place in the "exposed future" around the events of the “Second Coming” and “I am Become Death” episodes, as well as the “Resistance” online graphic novel chapter 106 (which I would recommend reading if you want some early chapters to make sense).
Summary: Renowned terrorist Peter Petrelli has been hiding Sylar, Elle and their son for a long time after Noah Bennet’s death, and when Pinehearst Agent Claire Bennet finally discovers them, they strike a deal to leave Sylar and his son alone, as long as Elle becomes Claire’s prisoner.
Link to art master post: HERE.
The Devil and Her Treasures
Chapter Nine: Turning Point
Something was wrong. Camped out at Peter’s last known appearance, Claire began to feel as though Peter wouldn’t show his place to this facility again. It made sense, and he wasn’t stupid. Keeping guards here was just a precaution, but she didn’t know if he’d ever come back here again.
“What are you thinking?” Daphne whispered in her ear, and Claire frowned as she met Daphne’s gaze.
“It’s not right. Peter’s not coming back here. I was thinking... If he goes back in time to prevent the future, why hasn’t it happened yet? How are we still here?”
“He hasn’t changed anything?” Knox answered behind her.
“Very likely. Which means Peter has some other plan to go back in the past,” Claire thought, and then she realized something about what Elle said, about how people change. Where in time did Peter go? Four years when the world found out? He did say that he was going to stop everyone from finding out about them. But what if it was more than that? What if Peter needed to find his past self and make him see the future so he could change it?
Both she and Peter were so different four years ago. They had actually been close and on speaking terms. Claire even remembered the feelings she once had for him. Now, they were a dull ache in heart, barely recognizable. Back then Claire would have done anything for Peter. He was her hero, and he was just the kind of guy his warped future self would seek.
“Knox, do we still have men stationed around all those graffiti paintings that Peter used to do to warn people of that explosion?” Claire asked.
Knox snorted. “Yeah, there’s a guy out there. But Claire, that’s a cold trail. Peter hasn’t shown his face around there since he did those paintings, and he’d be stupid to show his face there again. He knows we’re watching him to come back to his artwork.”
“Exactly. He’ll go back there because we’ve let our guard down,” she said, turning to them. “But not only that... to show someone what he’s painted.”
“The whole world knows about those paintings. Only the religious nut jobs believe them. They’ve been in magazines, the Internet, but only fringers really believe that - and the terrorists Peter works with,” Daphne said, crossing her arms and looking at Claire as though she was stupid. “It’s a dead end.”
“Not everyone. Not someone from the past,” Claire said. Daphne looked at her with confusion, but in a moment, Knox seemed to get it. He narrowed his eyes.
“Shit, he’s bringing someone back from the past,” Knox said. “I’m on it. Let’s move out.”
“Find me Rene. If we’re going to catch Peter and kill him, we’re going to need him to muzzle his powers so he can’t time travel again,” Claire said, throwing a glance to Knox who called for the Haitian next.
Claire was already on her phone to Nathan about her plans, and she marched off with Daphne and Knox following swiftly behind her.
xxxxx
It all happened so fast. One moment she had him - her Peter, and he was dead just as she had promised the President. The past Peter had complicated things, but she had realized his presence early enough to get at least one Peter. Claire knew, however, Nathan wouldn’t satisfied until she killed Peter for good - both Peters, and he would use Elle against her to make sure she was thorough.
Both Peters had to die, but it wasn’t that easy. Claire never knew that Peter would involve the past one with Sylar. She’d seen it herself. Sylar hadn’t even wanted to deal with the past Peter, but he couldn’t escape it. Claire told him what she’d do to him if he’d ever help Peter again.
And then, Knox had inadvertently killed Sylar’s son - Elle’s son, and then all hell broke loose.
She didn’t bet on anyone besides Peter dying. She didn’t want the kid to die too, and though the world was probably better off without Sylar, that was not part of the plan either. After that explosion and all those people died because Sylar lost control, Claire felt a sense of remorse and anger for those deaths.
She didn’t want to take part in any of the blame; this was Peter’s game. Even beyond his death, her uncle was vicious and cruel.
Knox was dead. Daphne was missing, presumed dead from the encompassing explosion. Even Sylar was dead, and though Claire knew that he had her ability to come back, he didn’t regenerate. After first, this confused her. How could her ability not allow him to live? Claire scoffed. It was possible that Sylar understood her power better than she could, and he could will himself to die. Why not? He had nothing left to live for? His son was dead; his wife was a prisoner of Pinehearst, and as good as dead now that Peter had ruined everything.
Claire almost envied him; that he could still die after having her ability.
All those people in Costa Verde were dead too, and the person who was responsible was dead with them. But Claire knew of one other person who could take the blame. One Peter was left alive, and he would pay for playing a part in all this.
After all the times Claire’s wishes to torture Elle were denied, now she had a chance to take her anger and pain out on someone. Even if it wasn’t Elle, this Peter was at least a good substitute.
Taking Rene with her, Claire headed to the lab with an excited smile.
xxxxx
The President was dead. Her father - surprisingly too trusting of the past version of his brother, had succumbed to his wounds.
When Claire had seen his body around the frantic Secret Service, she noticed the trademark wound on his forehead right away.
“Sylar,” she said under her breath hauntingly. So that had been her uncle’s game. Learn Sylar’s power, and then what? Kill the President, his own brother, and then travel back in time? Knox had been wrong; Claire did fear something. She feared that this was it for her world. She was surprised things weren’t even more fucked up, but when Nathan’s VP strode in and laid his eyes on the body, he pursed his lips and sighed.
“Good God,” said Vice President Danko, and he shot a glare at the security detail. “Give this man some dignity! Clean this up! I’ll have to alert Congress and the Supreme Court,” he said, pausing and sighing again. “I’ll have to plan for a press conference and tell the American people.” He turned to Claire. “So was it Peter Petrelli?”
She nodded. “A past version. He must have slipped back in time.”
“Goddammit,” he said, pacing around the room. “I knew this proliferation was a bad move.”
Claire arched an eyebrow. She knew her father’s VP didn’t always agree on some issues, the selling of powers included. She supposed that was why Nathan chose Danko, who had been a rival at one time for the presidency. Nathan seemed to believe that he needed to orchestrate a team of rivals, and he got Danko as his VP. Claire shuddered, as she looked him over. Danko was a known opponent of Specials’ rights. He even refused a free shot of the formula, stating that he was proud to remain as a human. Claire never understood why Nathan chose him, other than a media move to show that people with abilities and those without them could work together in harmony.
What a load of crap, Claire thought. And now this guy was going to be our President?
“You don’t think this will change the proliferation, do you? My father wanted to expose the formula to the whole world. Costa Verde even changed Congress’s mind. Now, his own brother has killed him from the past,” Claire said, tilting her head and observing Danko’s reactions carefully. “How will the nation react to such a thing?”
“That is if we tell them everything,” Danko said as he rested his hands on his hips. Finally, the coroner had arrived and was wrapping up the scene and delicately handling the President’s body. Danko turned to Claire and she saw a strange emotion burning in his eyes. He obviously despised her and her kind on some level, and the hatred was starting to show through. “I have a lot of calls to make and set up a press conference. Until further notice, Pinehearst will be shut down.”
“Sir?” Claire said a little too loudly. “If anything, you need Pinehearst more than ever. People are going to be scared. There may be riots...”
“Do as I say,” he said, jabbing a finger at her. When the security detail followed him out, Claire stalked back to the other Peter - the one from her time, still dead on the metal slab. She gazed at his face, wishing he were here for one more minute so she could yell at him. “What have you done, Peter?” She sighed.
She didn’t know what Danko was planning, but it wasn’t good. She had a bad feeling about him, and she’d heard rumors that he’d wanted to shut down a lot of the Specials’ programs. He certainly was no fan of people with abilities or that they were available and exposed.
Now, he was shutting down Pinehearst in their most dire need for order and stability? Something still didn’t feel right. Despite Danko’s orders, Claire wasn’t going anywhere. She wasn’t going to leave Pinehearst when she could be needed.
Already she missed Knox and Daphne. She called Matt, hoping that Daphne had sped ahead of the blast and made it home safely. When Matt cursed her on the phone, she knew that Daphne hadn’t made it. His wife had managed to run home, but she’d died his arms.
Still, she didn’t regret using Molly, and she wouldn’t regret killing Peter. He’d messed up everyone, and now, he’d messed up Daphne’s family and Elle’s as well.
When Claire thought of Elle, she feared telling her about what happened to her husband and son, but she knew she’d have to eventually. Heading down the hallways of Pinehearst, Claire watched as people began following Danko’s and leaving. He’d scheduled a press conference in three hours, and people were rushing back home to see it.
Though, most everyone knew that the President was dead. The only real question here was what the new President was going to do about it.
Noticing Rene lingering in the halls, Claire strode over to him and looked up at one of the TVs against the walls. CNN had breaking news that the President had been killed in a terrorist attack, and they were already speculating motives, talking about leads, and clamoring for that moment when the VP would offer more news.
“What do you think is going to happen to us?” Claire asked him, and Rene stared at her grimly.
“I do not trust Danko,” he said simply. “He told us to leave, so we should leave. I do not think he will keep Pinehearst the same as it once was.”
“So you think he’s going to shut us down too?” she asked, and his silence confirmed his agreement. “Good. I’m not crazy then.”
“I think it will be far worse, Claire,” Rene said, and she hated to admit it, but he was probably right. This was bad. Her father had been a proponent of their kind and now he was dead, and the terrorists had won. She’d seen Danko’s past primary speeches. He thought their kind was dangerous, and Claire was betting he still did.
“Well, I guess we’ll see what that press conference is about,” Claire said, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall with her eyes glued to the TV. Rene remained at her side, and once in awhile, they would get distracted as people rushed by them, finally leaving the building empty except for them, a few of the Secret Service men, and the prisoners they had housed down below.
xxxxx
It was worse than she feared. The Vice President Danko would be sworn into office after the death of the late President Nathan Petrelli. Because his death was by a terrorist attack, Danko had convinced Congress to delay the proliferation of the formula to be sold to any common person. The abilities were too dangerous, and the former president had been blind to see the consequences, which cost him his life.
Danko was also proposing stricter laws and background checks for those who wanted to purchase abilities, and until further notice, the sale of these abilities would be delayed and frozen, until they reevaluate the repercussions and the future dangers of such powers.
“The first step I’m taking in honor of our fallen President is to bring justice to any terrorist we have holding at our Pinehearst facility. They will no longer be a danger to us or anyone else. I will make swift preparations for their immediate sentence and execution, given their crimes,” Danko said, and the crowd was silent. People were stunned, and others were in agreement with him out of grief.
The moment those words came out of his mouth, however, Claire could think of no one else but Elle.
Normally she wouldn’t care if any of those terrorists and criminals in Pinehearst’s jail were killed. In fact, she frequently argued with Nathan on how soft he was for keeping them alive in the first place. She often advised him to make an example of these criminals, that Pinehearst protected all citizens and dealt with those who broke the law accordingly.
She remembered the argument exactly, and suddenly, she felt stupid, hotheaded and impulsive. This was before she’d imprisoned Elle.
Moreover, this was before Elle had saved her and made her feel sensations again.
Claire left Rene without a word, dashing down the hallways to the elevator to the basement. She didn’t have time to think, but she knew she had to free Elle before Danko ordered her execution. Pinehearst was finished; she knew that it died with Nathan. Now, people like her were in trouble again, and she’d be stupid not to run now.
But she couldn’t leave without Elle.
“Shit,” she thought, and she remembered that Elle still didn’t know about her son and husband. Elle didn’t know that the world was in chaos on the outside, or that Pinehearst was no longer a threat to her.
Elle may not even believe her. She may not want Claire’s help. Claire wouldn’t blame her, but she had to try. She had no one else. Just Rene, but that didn’t mean she would give up on Elle when everyone else she knew was dead: Knox, Daphne, Nathan, and her family - even Peter. Damn, and she hated to admit that maybe Peter had been right all along. She didn’t have time to think about it or to philosophize that what he’d said about the future was starting to make sense.
It was too late for that now. Peter had messed up, and maybe, she had messed up too.
But there was still a chance to get away from mass chaos, and from a President who clearly wanted to collar them the moment Nathan was dead rather than let them remain free.
“Claire, wait!” she heard Rene’s voice behind her, and as she was stepping on the lift, he caught up with her.
“Let me go with you,” Rene said, and as always, Claire was grateful and touched by his loyalty.
“You understand what you’re asking, right? I’m going against President Danko. This is our only chance,” Claire said sternly, and she saw the determination in his eyes.
“Let’s go. We’re getting Elle, and then we run, understand?” Rene nodded against as the elevator doors closed before their descent. Claire glanced at his dark eyes. “Just like old times.”
xxxxx
Chapter Ten: Fugitives