Subway car, NYC, Saturday night
It was Halloween night but Peter didn't feel like celebrating. His dreams were getting worse. It left Peter reluctant to go to sleep and even more reluctant to not do something to try to stop Sylar and the explosion.
At least he had leads. Not that the last one had gone anywhere. Mysterious deaths were just too common, and Peter had no way of telling after the fact if the victims had had any kind of powers.
Which wasn't to say Peter wouldn't keep trying. He was debating with himself about what his plan of action for the morning would be when he noticed that the subway car that he was on had gotten remarkably quiet. Also it had stopped moving. As had all of the other passengers in the car.
"Oh no," Peter muttered. He slammed his hand against one of the windows in frustration, then made his way through the car as he tried to figure out what had happened. "No no no. I've got enough going on. Whatever Fandom's shipping out for Halloween is going to have to wait. I don't have time for this."
"Peter Petrelli?" a voice said behind him.
Peter slowly turned around. He saw a Japanese man standing there. A Japanese man with what looked like a samurai sword.
"Okay," Peter said as he took this in. "I don't know what gremlin induced crazy this is but it has to stop."
"I'm sorry if I scared you," the man said. His eyes flickered over Peter's face. "You look different without your scar."
"We haven't met," Peter told him. Though to be on the safe side he tried to think of any Fandom-related incidents that included not only people turning into someone else, but samurai swords and real-world pause buttons.
"Not yet," the man agreed. "My name is Hiro Nakamura. I'm from the future. I have a message for you."
"The fu - " Peter started to say, then stopped. Some of the facts started clicking together for him - or clicking together as best they could. "No. No, I get it. You mean the other Fandom. The one with all the vampires. The one where - wait, is Sam okay?"
Hiro frowned. "You aren't making any sense."
"Tell me Sam's okay," Peter told him. He was perfectly willing to start calling up his powers if it meant getting a message from Sam that much faster.
"Sam who?"
"Winchester!"
"I don't know a Sam Winchester," Hiro replied. "That's not why I'm here. I don't have much time. I'm risking a rift just by coming here."
"Rift?" Peter looked at all of the still people around them. "You're doing this? What's your power?"
"Time and space," Hiro said.
Peter's mind reeled as he tried to comprehend the implications of what having that kind of power could mean. "That just might beat the alien-fu."
"Peter!" Hiro's voice was sharper as he tried to get Peter's attention. "The girl. You have to save her."
Hiro had Peter at the word "save." "What girl?"
"The cheerleader," Hiro said. "It's the only way to prevent it."
"Prevent what?" Peter asked.
"Everything," Hiro told him. "Listen to me: she must live. The painter, Isaac Mendez, go to him. He will know. You told me many times how lost you felt. This is the sign you've been waiting for. Save the cheerleader, save the world!"
Peter's mind was still whirling, but fortunately that didn't get in the way of his memory. "But I already did that."
"Save the - " Hiro was repeating as he turned to leave. Peter's words made him stop short. "What?"
"Save the cheerleader," Peter said. "That's like something Jaye said to me when I had to help Claire - the first Claire."
"The girl who can heal," Hiro said, just to make sure they were on the same page.
"Right," Peter said. "She was being tortured. I helped get her out."
"Tortured by Sylar?" Hiro asked.
"No, Angelus," Peter replied. Then to help make it clearer he added, "Not someone with powers. A vampire."
"Someone with powers who acts like a vampire?" Hiro asked.
"Actual vampire," Peter said. "Fangs, drinks blood, sun allergy, really bad haircut for some reason..."
"Vampires are real," Hiro said. He looked as though a tiny, deeply buried part of himself found this information exciting.
"Don't you know that?" It was Peter's turn to be confused. "You said you knew me with a scar. Don't you know how I got it?"
"You never told me it was from a vampire," Hiro said.
"Didn't I tell you anything about Fandom?" Peter asked.
"Not that either."
"Okay no offense but if I didn't mention Fandom, vampires, or my boyfriend I don't think you and I are really close," Peter told him.
"You're Peter Petrelli," Hiro said. "You're on this subway car on this night. This is when I come to you and deliver the message."
"Is this about Sylar?" Peter asked. "And the explosion?"
"Correct," Hiro replied. "You have to stop it."
"Well I've already saved the cheerleader so that's done," Peter said. "What's next? You said something about Isaac Mendez? The guy who draws the comics?"
Hiro began shaking his head. "No. I've stayed too long. There is already so much different that my being here will only make it worse. I have to go."
"Wait." Peter tried to reach for him. "You control time. You can take two seconds to explain - "
The train lurched back into life as time resumed and Hiro disappeared. Peter looked around and saw that no one was acting as though anything unusual had happened. It was as though Hiro hadn't even been there.
"Save the world," Peter murmured, talking only to himself. "Guess the next step is finding Isaac Mendez."
At least he had leads. Not that the last one had gone anywhere. Mysterious deaths were just too common, and Peter had no way of telling after the fact if the victims had had any kind of powers.
Which wasn't to say Peter wouldn't keep trying. He was debating with himself about what his plan of action for the morning would be when he noticed that the subway car that he was on had gotten remarkably quiet. Also it had stopped moving. As had all of the other passengers in the car.
"Oh no," Peter muttered. He slammed his hand against one of the windows in frustration, then made his way through the car as he tried to figure out what had happened. "No no no. I've got enough going on. Whatever Fandom's shipping out for Halloween is going to have to wait. I don't have time for this."
"Peter Petrelli?" a voice said behind him.
Peter slowly turned around. He saw a Japanese man standing there. A Japanese man with what looked like a samurai sword.
"Okay," Peter said as he took this in. "I don't know what gremlin induced crazy this is but it has to stop."
"I'm sorry if I scared you," the man said. His eyes flickered over Peter's face. "You look different without your scar."
"We haven't met," Peter told him. Though to be on the safe side he tried to think of any Fandom-related incidents that included not only people turning into someone else, but samurai swords and real-world pause buttons.
"Not yet," the man agreed. "My name is Hiro Nakamura. I'm from the future. I have a message for you."
"The fu - " Peter started to say, then stopped. Some of the facts started clicking together for him - or clicking together as best they could. "No. No, I get it. You mean the other Fandom. The one with all the vampires. The one where - wait, is Sam okay?"
Hiro frowned. "You aren't making any sense."
"Tell me Sam's okay," Peter told him. He was perfectly willing to start calling up his powers if it meant getting a message from Sam that much faster.
"Sam who?"
"Winchester!"
"I don't know a Sam Winchester," Hiro replied. "That's not why I'm here. I don't have much time. I'm risking a rift just by coming here."
"Rift?" Peter looked at all of the still people around them. "You're doing this? What's your power?"
"Time and space," Hiro said.
Peter's mind reeled as he tried to comprehend the implications of what having that kind of power could mean. "That just might beat the alien-fu."
"Peter!" Hiro's voice was sharper as he tried to get Peter's attention. "The girl. You have to save her."
Hiro had Peter at the word "save." "What girl?"
"The cheerleader," Hiro said. "It's the only way to prevent it."
"Prevent what?" Peter asked.
"Everything," Hiro told him. "Listen to me: she must live. The painter, Isaac Mendez, go to him. He will know. You told me many times how lost you felt. This is the sign you've been waiting for. Save the cheerleader, save the world!"
Peter's mind was still whirling, but fortunately that didn't get in the way of his memory. "But I already did that."
"Save the - " Hiro was repeating as he turned to leave. Peter's words made him stop short. "What?"
"Save the cheerleader," Peter said. "That's like something Jaye said to me when I had to help Claire - the first Claire."
"The girl who can heal," Hiro said, just to make sure they were on the same page.
"Right," Peter said. "She was being tortured. I helped get her out."
"Tortured by Sylar?" Hiro asked.
"No, Angelus," Peter replied. Then to help make it clearer he added, "Not someone with powers. A vampire."
"Someone with powers who acts like a vampire?" Hiro asked.
"Actual vampire," Peter said. "Fangs, drinks blood, sun allergy, really bad haircut for some reason..."
"Vampires are real," Hiro said. He looked as though a tiny, deeply buried part of himself found this information exciting.
"Don't you know that?" It was Peter's turn to be confused. "You said you knew me with a scar. Don't you know how I got it?"
"You never told me it was from a vampire," Hiro said.
"Didn't I tell you anything about Fandom?" Peter asked.
"Not that either."
"Okay no offense but if I didn't mention Fandom, vampires, or my boyfriend I don't think you and I are really close," Peter told him.
"You're Peter Petrelli," Hiro said. "You're on this subway car on this night. This is when I come to you and deliver the message."
"Is this about Sylar?" Peter asked. "And the explosion?"
"Correct," Hiro replied. "You have to stop it."
"Well I've already saved the cheerleader so that's done," Peter said. "What's next? You said something about Isaac Mendez? The guy who draws the comics?"
Hiro began shaking his head. "No. I've stayed too long. There is already so much different that my being here will only make it worse. I have to go."
"Wait." Peter tried to reach for him. "You control time. You can take two seconds to explain - "
The train lurched back into life as time resumed and Hiro disappeared. Peter looked around and saw that no one was acting as though anything unusual had happened. It was as though Hiro hadn't even been there.
"Save the world," Peter murmured, talking only to himself. "Guess the next step is finding Isaac Mendez."