Company building, hospital, then who knows where. Thursday afternoon
Getting his things, getting the pills out of his system, and getting out all took time, but with Elle's help Peter was able to manage it. The Company had arranged for Nathan's medical care, so getting the information on which hospital Nathan was being kept at was part of the process. Peter's invisibility made it easier for him and Elle to get to Nathan's room without anybody noticing.
Unfortunately nothing made it easy for Peter to come to terms with the sight of Nathan burned beyond almost any recognition.
"I'm so sorry, Nathan." Peter whispered. He didn't know where he could touch Nathan without hurting him. In the end he settled on gently placing his hands over Nathan's heart and concentrating all his healing powers right into Nathan's body.
Elle stood there silently, watching Peter heal Nathan and hoping that his powers were going to work after all the time spent taking the power suppressing drugs. It didn't take long before the burn scars on his skin began to fade.
"Peter," she said softly. "We can't be here when he wakes up."
Peter knew that, but even still he couldn't tear himself away. "Look - it's working!"
"Yes, it is," Elle agreed, reaching for his hand. "Which means he's going to wake up soon."
"I can't - " Peter started to say, but stopped himself. Now that he and Elle had escaped, Nathan's side was the first place the Company would come looking for them. They had to go before they ended up right back where they'd started.
Even so, the idea of totally leaving Nathan behind was too much for Peter. He caught sight of a collection of photographs that had been placed on a table for Nathan's benefit. One of them was a framed picture of Nathan and Peter together. Peter gave Elle's hand a squeeze as he let go so that he could grab the picture for himself. "Okay. I guess."
Elle tugged on his hand, pulling him towards the door. "I know you want to stay, but they'll find us. We can come back and get Nathan later, once he's out of the hospital."
Peter turned them both invisible while they got out of the hospital. He turned it off once they were back outside. He still wasn't completely confident in his ability to keep his powers under control. He didn't want to take unnecessary risks until he and Elle were somewhere secure. Peter wasn't sure where that would be yet - maybe Fandom - but they needed to get away from the Company's clutches before making that decision.
"I can't believe it," he said as he and Elle turned a corner and ended up on a walkway by a shipyard. "He was healing right in front of me. Even as bad as he was - that means he'll be okay, right?"
"Of course he'll be okay," Elle assured him. "And we'll come back for him once we have a safe place to take him."
Peter's reply was caught short when two figures appeared from behind one of the shipping containers. Peter recognized them: Bob, and the Haitian who had turned his powers down when he'd first been taken in by the Company.
"Peter, Elle," Bob said, looking at both of them in turn. "I am very disappointed in you."
Elle froze at her father's words. The last thing she ever wanted to do was disappoint him. "Daddy, I...." she broke off and bit her lip, looking at Peter. "Run," she hissed at Peter, so soft that only Peter could hear. "If we split up, we have a better chance of escaping. We can meet up later." To her father, Elle added. "I have to do this," she said, taking off running and hoping they could escape without their powers.
Elle had been hoping that the Haitian would follow her and not Peter, assuming that they didn't realize Peter had stopped taking his power-surpressing pills. Her heart sunk when she realized her father was chasing her. "Elle, you will stop running now," he commanded in that tone of voice that she knew meant trouble.
Despite her best intentions, she couldn't bring herself to disobey and stopped running. "I'm sorry, Daddy."
"I'm very disappointed in you, Elle," Bob said. "I thought you were worthy of my trust. I thought you were ready to be a field agent."
"I am," she said. "I promise I won't do anything like this again."
Bob grabbed her arm and started dragging her to the car. "I know you won't," he said.
Elle recognized the ominous tone and knew she was in for unpleasant things when they returned to the Company building.
***
Peter ran. He tried using his powers but with the Haitian right behind him he couldn't do anything. The best he could hope for was finding some way to escape. He'd have to come back for Elle later.
His shirt caught as he climbed over a chain link fence. Knowing it would take too much time to untangle it, Peter stripped it and his coat off, leaving them behind as a casualty of the moment. He landed on his feet and kept running. He could get more clothes. He could get some kind of help for him and Elle and Nathan. He could -
A punch, seemingly out of nowhere, knocked Peter down to the ground. Peter got up, instinctively trying to use his powers even though they were useless while the Haitian was using his. Another punch knocked Peter straight back into an open shipping container. One more punch, this time to the gut, knocked Peter back against the cold metal wall.
Peter recovered enough to hit the Haitian in return. The Haitian grabbed Peter's arm and twisted it behind his back, using the pressure to push Peter down to his knees. Next came the cold click of a handcuff being wrapped first around Peter's wrist, then around one of the pipes built into the container.
Peter glared. "You take me back there, I'm just going to keep escaping."
"I'm not taking you back," the Haitian said, calmly. "You deserve a better fate. Your mother helped me when I was in need."
Peter blinked with surprise. He knew that Bob was a friend of the family, but the Haitian as well? Just how many secrets had his parents been keeping? "So now you're helping me?" Peter asked, not sure if he believed it.
The Haitian pulled a necklace from out of his pocket. With a sick feeling in his stomach, Peter recognized it as the protective necklace Sam had given to him. He couldn't believe he'd almost left it behind. He went from being angry to grateful that the Haitian had saved it on Peter's behalf.
The Haitian put the necklace over Peter's head. "You must start a new life, Peter. I fear this is the only solution. Your secret is safe with me. Go with God, my friend."
Before Peter could reply, the Haitian moved his hand to cover Peter's eyes. The Haitian then used his other power - the power to remove memories. Peter screamed as everything he'd ever known about himself was taken from his mind.
When the Haitian was done, he left Peter scared and alone, handcuffed inside of a locked shipping container, with no one who knew where he was.
[ooc: again thanks to marsheadtilt for playing doppelganger, also to canon for providing a good chunk of the action and dialogue... with minor tweaks. ;) ]
Unfortunately nothing made it easy for Peter to come to terms with the sight of Nathan burned beyond almost any recognition.
"I'm so sorry, Nathan." Peter whispered. He didn't know where he could touch Nathan without hurting him. In the end he settled on gently placing his hands over Nathan's heart and concentrating all his healing powers right into Nathan's body.
Elle stood there silently, watching Peter heal Nathan and hoping that his powers were going to work after all the time spent taking the power suppressing drugs. It didn't take long before the burn scars on his skin began to fade.
"Peter," she said softly. "We can't be here when he wakes up."
Peter knew that, but even still he couldn't tear himself away. "Look - it's working!"
"Yes, it is," Elle agreed, reaching for his hand. "Which means he's going to wake up soon."
"I can't - " Peter started to say, but stopped himself. Now that he and Elle had escaped, Nathan's side was the first place the Company would come looking for them. They had to go before they ended up right back where they'd started.
Even so, the idea of totally leaving Nathan behind was too much for Peter. He caught sight of a collection of photographs that had been placed on a table for Nathan's benefit. One of them was a framed picture of Nathan and Peter together. Peter gave Elle's hand a squeeze as he let go so that he could grab the picture for himself. "Okay. I guess."
Elle tugged on his hand, pulling him towards the door. "I know you want to stay, but they'll find us. We can come back and get Nathan later, once he's out of the hospital."
Peter turned them both invisible while they got out of the hospital. He turned it off once they were back outside. He still wasn't completely confident in his ability to keep his powers under control. He didn't want to take unnecessary risks until he and Elle were somewhere secure. Peter wasn't sure where that would be yet - maybe Fandom - but they needed to get away from the Company's clutches before making that decision.
"I can't believe it," he said as he and Elle turned a corner and ended up on a walkway by a shipyard. "He was healing right in front of me. Even as bad as he was - that means he'll be okay, right?"
"Of course he'll be okay," Elle assured him. "And we'll come back for him once we have a safe place to take him."
Peter's reply was caught short when two figures appeared from behind one of the shipping containers. Peter recognized them: Bob, and the Haitian who had turned his powers down when he'd first been taken in by the Company.
"Peter, Elle," Bob said, looking at both of them in turn. "I am very disappointed in you."
Elle froze at her father's words. The last thing she ever wanted to do was disappoint him. "Daddy, I...." she broke off and bit her lip, looking at Peter. "Run," she hissed at Peter, so soft that only Peter could hear. "If we split up, we have a better chance of escaping. We can meet up later." To her father, Elle added. "I have to do this," she said, taking off running and hoping they could escape without their powers.
Elle had been hoping that the Haitian would follow her and not Peter, assuming that they didn't realize Peter had stopped taking his power-surpressing pills. Her heart sunk when she realized her father was chasing her. "Elle, you will stop running now," he commanded in that tone of voice that she knew meant trouble.
Despite her best intentions, she couldn't bring herself to disobey and stopped running. "I'm sorry, Daddy."
"I'm very disappointed in you, Elle," Bob said. "I thought you were worthy of my trust. I thought you were ready to be a field agent."
"I am," she said. "I promise I won't do anything like this again."
Bob grabbed her arm and started dragging her to the car. "I know you won't," he said.
Elle recognized the ominous tone and knew she was in for unpleasant things when they returned to the Company building.
***
Peter ran. He tried using his powers but with the Haitian right behind him he couldn't do anything. The best he could hope for was finding some way to escape. He'd have to come back for Elle later.
His shirt caught as he climbed over a chain link fence. Knowing it would take too much time to untangle it, Peter stripped it and his coat off, leaving them behind as a casualty of the moment. He landed on his feet and kept running. He could get more clothes. He could get some kind of help for him and Elle and Nathan. He could -
A punch, seemingly out of nowhere, knocked Peter down to the ground. Peter got up, instinctively trying to use his powers even though they were useless while the Haitian was using his. Another punch knocked Peter straight back into an open shipping container. One more punch, this time to the gut, knocked Peter back against the cold metal wall.
Peter recovered enough to hit the Haitian in return. The Haitian grabbed Peter's arm and twisted it behind his back, using the pressure to push Peter down to his knees. Next came the cold click of a handcuff being wrapped first around Peter's wrist, then around one of the pipes built into the container.
Peter glared. "You take me back there, I'm just going to keep escaping."
"I'm not taking you back," the Haitian said, calmly. "You deserve a better fate. Your mother helped me when I was in need."
Peter blinked with surprise. He knew that Bob was a friend of the family, but the Haitian as well? Just how many secrets had his parents been keeping? "So now you're helping me?" Peter asked, not sure if he believed it.
The Haitian pulled a necklace from out of his pocket. With a sick feeling in his stomach, Peter recognized it as the protective necklace Sam had given to him. He couldn't believe he'd almost left it behind. He went from being angry to grateful that the Haitian had saved it on Peter's behalf.
The Haitian put the necklace over Peter's head. "You must start a new life, Peter. I fear this is the only solution. Your secret is safe with me. Go with God, my friend."
Before Peter could reply, the Haitian moved his hand to cover Peter's eyes. The Haitian then used his other power - the power to remove memories. Peter screamed as everything he'd ever known about himself was taken from his mind.
When the Haitian was done, he left Peter scared and alone, handcuffed inside of a locked shipping container, with no one who knew where he was.
[ooc: again thanks to marsheadtilt for playing doppelganger, also to canon for providing a good chunk of the action and dialogue... with minor tweaks. ;) ]