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| Scene Title | Nice to Meet You, Again |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Peter reintroduces himself to Matt Parkman. |
| Date | October 5, 2008 |
"I tell ya, if it ain't got racing stripes it just don't look fast." Fluorescent lights desaturate the color from the faux wood tables in the cafeteria. "See, what I'm talkin' 'bout is a mint little Austin Martin, right? Lime fuckin' green it was." Seated at one of the round tables, a pair of Company agents take an evening coffee break, amidst what is one of the more tense months for the organization in some many years. "So this wanker says to me, he says, 'Oy! Your ride ain't got nothin' on mine!' So I did what any self respectin' man would do in'a situation."
"You punched him, right?" Peter Petrelli was never an operative of the Company, not until he lost his memories. Seated at the table across from the blonde haired and wiry Agent Woods, Peter looks like he's been with the Company all of his life. Dressed in a slick black suit with a gray undershirt and narrow black tie. "This is going to be another story about you knocking somebody out?" One brow raises, creasing that scar on his face, the only true distinguishing mark to clarify that this really is Peter.
Agent Woods deflates some, tossing his egg-salad sandwich down onto the paper bag in front of him, "Well fine!" Woods says with a snort, "If y'ain't gonna' like my stories I jus' tell ya any!" He folds his arms across his chest, and it's hard to tell if the blonde Brit is serious or not. Peter and he share a long, awkward silence, before the pair burst out laughing, Peter shaking his head as he takes a sip of his coffee with a bit of a grimace, it must be just that good. "You're an all-right guy, Petrelli."
No feeling in an arm is better than no arm at all, but Parkman is still getting used to the fact that the meat attached to his shoulder isn't really his. Leaving an agent who had been briefing him on the progress the Company has made so far in locating his assailant, Parkman looks less than pleased when as he makes his way to the coffee station in the cafeteria. Though he's dressed as well as he ever is. Even so, the Homeland Agent looks less than well as he lifts the Styrofoam cup of coffee to his lips.
It's then that he hears the name. Petrelli? As he's in a Company facility, Parkman doesn't immediately reach for his sidearm but he scans the room for that oh-so-familiar face. As Peter blends in so well in his given garb, it takes Parkman a few sweeps before he finds that scar and zeroes in on the terrorists apparently turned Company Man.
Leaning back in his chair, Peter cracks a smile and shakes his head, "Just feels good to know we did something properly, right?" One brow raises as he eyes Woods. "Getting Salonga back and nabbing Sanders? That's a pretty solid track record for the both of us." Something catches Peter's attention, and his head cants to one side. Slowly, he rises up and pushes his chair to the side, "Hey, I'll be right back."
"Wot, leavin' me all by me lonesome? I'll live, I guess." Woods snorts out a laugh and returns his attention to his egg-salad sandwich as Peter walks past the table, making a rather direct route towards the Homeland Security agent.
"Parkman!" Peter calls out from across the room, a somewhat inscrutable expression on his face. One hand slowly moves from inside of a pocket of Peter's slacks, holding it out in front of himself as he walks. "Matt Parkman?" The expression lightens, the hand offered as he closes the distance. "It's a pleasure! Agent Petrelli," He says with a crooked smile, motioning with his offered hand. "I heard about your attack, rest assured we're doing our best to look into it. We think we've narrowed down where that particular target is."
Parkman stares almost dumbly at Peter, but he lifts his right hand to take the offered one and shake it for a few moments. Parkman continues to narrow his eyes, then shakes his head. "Peter Petrelli," he says in a softer voice, and it is almost questioning. "When did…how? Why are you here?" This was definitely something that Parkman wasn't briefed on. Something he feels he should have been briefed on.
One brow is raised, and Peter cocks his head to the side, "Once I got out of the infirmary and they were sure I had my abilities under control." His response is punctuated with a laugh, head shaking as he looks at Parkman with a puzzled expression. "Did…" Peter's eyes narrow slightly, "Did we know each other, I mean, before everything happened?" Peter squares his shoulders, hands sliding into his pockets. "I ah, you'll really have to forgive me here, ever since my accident I've had a little recollection problem." Drawing his teeth over his lower lip, Peter shifts his eyes to the side, regarding Matt curiously. "They ah, don't think I have any hope of recovering my memory, it goes back pretty far too. So, I…" His expression turns into a somewhat awkward smile. "I apologize if we were acquaintances, did you know me through Nathan?"
"No," Parkman answers slowly. Well, it makes perfect sense that The Company would use the former-PARIAH operative and induct him as one of their own since the slate's been wiped clean. But was it their doing, or someone else's? Parkman isn't about to spend much time questioning that. "A girl, actually. From Texas. But that doesn't matter." So much from those days doesn't matter at all anymore. "It's good to see you here. Doing good. Helping people."
"I've been to Texas?" Peter cracks a smile and shakes his head, shifting his weight to one foot. "Good is a little relative if I've heard everything right. I'm just trying to do my part, you know, make use of the gift I've been given to help people. One f our agents, Elle Bishop, she was kidnapped after the attack that took place here by those terrorists." Peter tilts his head to the side, "Agent Buckley and I have been working to try and get her back. A few days ago, my partner," He motions over his shoulder with his thumb to the light-haired man at the table, "and I re-acquired Niki Sanders, and she gave us some information regarding Adam Munroe and Huruma's location. We're planning to make a move on them sometime soon."
Peter's brow tenses slightly, looking down at the floor, then back up to Parkman, "I um, I'm sorry I wasn't able to do anything about what happened. Maybe if I had been out of recovery before you got attacked, something could have…" Peter breathes a heavy sigh out of his nose, then shakes his head. "I'm just trying to make a difference. I mean, I've got this gift, right? What good is it if I'm not helping people with it, making my home safe." His distraught expression turns into a smile, "Once we get Elle back, then I'm going to recommend we take out those terrorists, for good. There's no excuse to allow something like that to happen again."
Parkman's eyebrows go up at that, and he can't help but smile as he slips his hand back into his pocket and takes a sip of the coffee. "You have to realize, like any terrorist organization, they think they're doing good too." Parkman shakes his head a bit, as if saddened by the idea. "It's not going to be easy, but I'm glad to see you're on our side of things."
"It's not about sides," Peter says with one motion of his hand, gesturing with his coffee to punctuate his sentence. "It's about doing what's right, and I can't see any right in what was done here. Three lunatics were let out, one that nearly — " He censors himself, grimacing for a moment. "One that has already proven herself a threat. Have you heard about Mister Bishop's status?" Peter's tone of voice drops some, looking at Matt cautiously, "He's… it's pretty bad."
Parkman shakes his head, his eyes narrowed once more. "No. I was briefed by someone else. But they didn't say anything about why Bob wasn't the one filling me in. You learn not to question too much around here, you know?" Parkman takes another sip of his coffee before he glances over his shoulder. "You going to go out and get his little girl, then?"
One brow raises slowly, "Asking questions has worked out pretty well for me so far." He admits with a crooked smile, though he's only ever asked questions he's supposed to ask. "Bob's pretty roughed up, that's why I imagine you've been debriefed by someone else. He's taken Elle's situation pretty hard, and… well," Peter furrows his brow, shaking his head, "I promised him I'd bring his little girl back." A smile manages to cross his face, "So, yeah, me and Agent Buckley are going to go get her, bring her back. Bob's given us a bit of carte blanche in her retrieval — any methods necessary, and he's not calling the shots. I don't think he's got it in him right now." Raising his coffe to his lips, Peter takes a slow slip, then looks over to Parkman. "What brings you down here, anyway?"
Parkman takes a deep breath and shakes his head again, as if about to relay some 'woman-trouble' story. It's odd talking to Peter — Peter — like this, after all these years. "H.S. wants me to take a few more days, but —" and Parkman shakes his head again, frowning. "It's not in me either."
"Can't give up the ghost, can you?" There's a bit of a smile from the new agent, "I can't blame you for wanting to get back on the horse, it was the same way with me when I was in med-school." He grimaces, "If I've bored you with this story before, I apologize." Brows raise and Peter cracks a smile, "I busted up my shoulder pretty bad, got hit by a car while riding my bike to school. I was laid up for a few weeks, but i was still trying to study, to get in for labs when I should've been in bed." His head shakes from side to side. "Sometimes, when you really believe in something, it's hard to completely set it aside."
In this case, it's revenge. Retribution. Justice. Parkman listens, though, and smiles in the appropriate spots. "You've never told me that story before, Peter. It's nice to know though, really. I always knew you were passionate." After another sip of the coffee, Parkman smiles his best congenial smile. "Speaking of believing in something, there's something I have to check on before I go, and if I don't get to it soon, who knows when I'll be able to again, you know?"
Peter nods slowly, "Hey, I understand." One hand reaches out, slapping Parkman on the shoulder lightly. "If you need me for anything while you're here, just ask. With Bob out of commission and half of the agents out searching the city for Elle, I'm starting to feel like I'm in charge around here." He laughs, awkwardly, and starts making his way back to the table, looking over his shoulder to Matt after a moment. He stares, watching the agent for a short time.
"Glad to know you're okay, Matt. And ah, nice to meet you…" Peter's smile turns to something more joking, "Again."
 October 5th: Pigeons in the Park |
 October 5th: A Poisoned Morsel |