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Title: Black Edelweiss
Series: Zeitgeist
Follows: One Giant Leap
Wordcount: 2,979
Summary: Two weeks after Claire Bennet's televised leap from the Ferris wheel, the 12th handles it's first case delving into the strange world of specials. Evidence points the investigation toward a former Company Agent, a man Noah Bennet would swear up and down doesn't exist.
Details: Minimal details due to inflation. Full details and warnings in main post.
Author's Note: More dubiously executed "exposition" in this one. At least it's a comparatively short chapter. Also, if you haven't I highly recommend you read Interludes 2, 3 and 4 to accompany this.
PREV: Interlude 4 // MAIN // NEXT: Chapter Seven
Chapter Six: Stranger Than Fiction
Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn’t there
He wasn’t there again today
I wish, I wish he’d go away...
—Hughes Mearns, "Antigonish"
Kate ended her call with Kevin, returning to the side-office where Bennet and Castle stood before the murder board, engaged in conversation.
Countless times during their bizarre "partnership", it had been Kate's unfortunate duty to remind Castle that real police work consisted of a great deal of waiting. The task never got any easier. The only thing more distracting than a bored Richard Castle, was a Richard Castle striving manfully not to be bored, and right now he was probably the worst she had ever seen him. Fortunately—for Kate, at least—it seemed she might be safe from his pestering for the length of this case. The recipient of that painful honor was Bennet. The agent bore the attention with more dignity than Kate could have ever thought possible. Though, once his impatient glares finally proved useless in deterring the writer's curiosity, Bennet had surrendered to questioning with a stoney resignation.
Kate thought it was almost like watching a kitten attack a table leg and win.
"So, what exactly was the retirement plan for Company spooks?" Castle was asking Bennet. "I mean, I'm guessing it was a dangerous job, but if Konrad served in World War II he had to have been almost eighty by the time he left."
"True," Bennet acknowledged, though he seemed oddly reluctant, "but its possible he might not look it."
"What do you mean?" Castle asked, leaning against the table.
"There was a man who worked with the Company," Bennet answered slowly, "a special named Adam Monroe. You'll remember Angela mentioning that Reichardt was the one who introduced him to the founders in the first place."
Castle nodded. Bennet hesitated, though he seemed to come to his decision quickly—if not without a bit of regret, Kate thought.
"Adam's ability was similar to my daughter's," Bennet continued, making plain the reason for his guarded reluctance. "While it hasn't been made known publicly, one consequence of accelerated cellular regeneration is that, at a certain point, the aging process stops."
"So, you're saying they're basically immortal?" Castle asked, with an expression of naked fascination.
"Not...entirely," Bennet said. "Adam Monroe was killed by another special in 2007. But he was close to four-hundred years old when he died."
Castle stared, and Kate found herself stunned by the idea as well.
"So, with his mimicry whatsists," Castle reasoned, plowing ahead, "depending on when Konrad met Adam, he could...really look just about any age?"
"I'm afraid so," Bennet confirmed, tossing Kate a sympathetic look as he noticed her. "I know that basically puts us back at square one as far as making an ID. I should have thought to ask Angela, but I didn't want to push her further. Still, the files should help us out on that front."
"These files are coming from Japan, you said? That's gonna take a while," Castle said, not quite impatiently, but honestly. "I just don't know how much longer I can stand to wait."
The corner of Bennet's mouth lifted in a faint expression...what Kate thought might have been a playful smirk.
"I wouldn't be surprised if it was sooner than you think," Bennet said, simply.
Before she could ask him to elaborate, Kate heard a commotion out in the hall. The sounds also caught Bennet's attention. The two of them were out of the office in a flash. As they reached the bullpen, Kate saw the center of the activity was a short Asian man in his early thirties—surrounded by a number of officers with weapons drawn. Kate couldn't immediately see anything threatening about him. Indeed, behind his glasses the man looked terrified, his arms raised high over his head. Beside her, Kate heard Bennet mutter under his breath.
"Uwasa o sureba kage."
Then, raising his voice, Bennet called out in English. "Stand down!"
A few of the officers turned to look at him, their eyes roaming questioningly to Kate. Hoping Bennet knew what he was doing, she nodded.
"Do as he says," she confirmed, looking to one of the officers as they complied. "Someone want to tell me what's going on here?"
"This guy just showed up out of nowhere," one officer explained, his face was pale and he seemed shaken. "Literally out of nowhere."
"And I missed it?" Castle said mournfully as he caught up behind them. "I always miss it..."
Kate ignored him, looking to Bennet.
"Is he who we've been expecting?"
Bennet nodded.
"Though as usual, Hiro makes a mockery of expectations."
There was irritation in Bennet's voice, but no real bite to it.
The man—Hiro—still held his hands up high, even as the police surrounding him reluctantly dispersed. As Bennet approached, he finally lowered them, round-cheeked face splitting in a friendly smile.
"Mr. Bennet-san," he greeted the ex-agent, dipping a quick bow. As he stood again, he shoved the glasses back up on his nose in a practice motion. "Mrs. Petrelli ask me to bring you my father's files. It sound important, so I come right away."
He paused, glancing around the bullpen warily, a guilty expression on his face.
"I am sorry," Hiro offered apologetically, enunciating the words carefully. "I did not mean to cause trouble."
"I understand, Hiro," Bennet accepted, "but next time think about it before you just show up in the middle of a police station... At the very least, call ahead."
Hiro nodded, very seriously. He then looked curiously toward Beckett and Castle.
"Detective Beckett, this is Hiro Nakamura, son of one of the Company's late founders," Bennet offered by way of introduction. "Hiro, this is Detective Kate Beckett and her colleague Richard Castle."
Hiro repeated his bow, returning his glasses to their spot on the bridge of his nose. True to form, Castle stepped forward, taking Hiro's hand in a firm grasp.
"So," the writer asked eagerly, "your power, you like teleport or something?"
Hiro gave a startled blink before he bobbed his head in a quick nod that was almost another bow.
"Hai," he answered carefully. "I bend time and space."
Castle stared at the man for a long moment with an awed expression, still holding the hand in front of him like he didn't want to let go.
"That is so cool," Castle managed finally, mouth pulling in an open grin. Hiro, though obviously a little overwhelmed by the attention, returned a small smile with a duck of his head.
"Are you sure you have the right files?" Bennet asked, looking over the stack of boxes sitting on the floor nearby. There must have been six or seven, each marked with a yellow-on-brown Primatech logo.
"Hai," Hiro answered with a definite nod. "Mrs. Petrelli tell me to find my father's private files about Konrad-ojisan."
Bennet frowned. Kate thought he seemed a little startled by the address.
"You remember him?" Bennet asked uncertainly.
"No. But my father spoke of him many times," Hiro answered with a regretful frown. "I used to have picture of him. When I was little, I come to New York with my father, and we saw baseball game together."
He smiled wistfully, eyes saddened.
"I remember the game, but I do not remember him. When I ask my father why his friend never visit, he always looked very sad." He paused, turning to Bennet. "He was...special, yes?"
Bennet nodded.
"Mrs. Petrelli say you try to find him," Hiro offered hopefully. "I can help?"
Kate was still trying to compose a polite refusal when Bennet spoke.
"He might be able to help identify Konrad if we find a photograph," Bennet reasoned as he opened the lid of one of the boxes—and it was a fair point she had to admit. Looking inside he nodded with a satisfied smile. "Kaito's ability gave him a talent for anticipating events."
Bennet lifted an envelope that had been sitting on top of the files, holding it up where they could see it. There was writing scrawled across it, and Hiro's eyes lit with faint surprise.
"It is to me," Hiro told the detectives, voice small. "From my father."
He reached out for the envelope, which Bennet gave him, though Hiro's eyes moved to Kate for permission.
She hesitated for a moment. It was more than a little irregular, but she was already beginning to understand that irregularity was going to be the watchword for this case in general. She didn't even want to think about how the unusual "delivery" of the files effected chain-of-evidence. Given that they had already been in Mr. Nakamura's possession, she supposed any difficulties his assistance might cause were relatively minor by comparison. And, of course, she could imagine how she would have felt if someone had found a letter to her among her mother's things and refused to let her read it. She gave a slight nod. Hiro opened the envelope carefully.
Hiro wasn't asked to read it out loud, but he did them the favor nonetheless, translating to the best of his ability.
"It says, 'Hiro. If you read this then you have found my hidden files. If so, then probably I am dead. With this letter I entrust you with a important secret that I am sure have outlived me, and ask you guard it with faith also as I did. I told you many times of my good friend Konrad Reichardt, who was to you like an uncle. I know you do not remember him, but it is so. As much as I tell you, there is more I did not, and that you need to know to keep safe what I have left to you.'"
As Hiro recited the letter, Bennet occasionally lent a hand to bridge the translation, and between the two of them, a clear picture of Reichardt's involvement with the Company began to form.
Kaito's father had died in 1963, and custodianship of his family's legacy had fallen into his hands. Seeking to flee the responsibility, he had come to New York City, only to run headlong into his destiny in a very different fashion. Specials often found themselves drawn together by strange events in which others like them were involved, though the mechanism of whatever force connected them was little understood. The Greenwich Coffeehouse riots were only one such incident of which he was aware, but it had been a critical formative moment for the Company.
After the special who had instigated the violence had been shot by police, the club—Uncle Ira's—had erupted into chaos. With the telepath Charles Deveaux temporarily removed from the action and knowing almost no English to communicate with the others without him, Kaito could only watch in helpless horror at the further chaos that had unfolded. In an odd way that had been fortunate, otherwise he might never have seen one man's face opened by a broken bottle—or noticed the way the flesh had closed over almost before it had a chance to bleed.
Kaito had attempted to tell Linderman—for he had known for certain that Linderman was like him from the moment the young man had begun using his ability to heal those injured in the riots—but these efforts had fallen flat. It wasn't until long after, once Charles had recovered, that Kaito had been able to bring the man's presence to the attention of the others. Together, Kaito and Charles had gone to great lengths to track him down. And while Charles' ability had proved essential in finding the man, Kaito had been pleasantly surprised to discover his friend's presence as a translator had not been needed.
Konrad had been quite wary of the two men, at first. Later, as they had grown into each others' confidence, Kaito would come to learn that Konrad wasn't a man who trusted lightly. And that it was with good reason that he socarefully guarded his past...
Konrad Reichardt had been born in Dresden, Germany in the early '20s, though his story, as far as Kaito felt it need concern anyone, had really begun in 1944. It was in that year that he had suffered a combat injury on the Eastern Front and after a brief hospitalization been transferred to guard duty at Auschwitz to complete his recovery. It was during this time that a peculiar incident had seen the first manifestation of his regenerative ability. His sudden and inexplicable recovery from what should have been a mortal wound had prompted the rabid attention of the camp's researchers. Kaito chose to divulge few details to his son, but repeated Konrad's own words that his own usage had been only the least among an uncountable number of cruel and obscene acts performed there.
Konrad had eventually been rescued by a fellow guard by the name of Friedrich Stahl, a man who he had soon learned was far more than he seemed, and appeared to share the same gift. The two had fled, reaching Dresden only days prior to it's bombing. Konrad had been undone by the loss of his family and the destruction of all he knew, and Stahl had used the confusion in the aftermath of the bombing to hide them amongst a group of Allied POWs being held in the city. Under the assumed identities of British soldiers, the pair had managed to escape to England, later traveling to Canada and then the United States.
Konrad had left two lives behind him by the time he and Kaito crossed paths in 1963, and had been unwilling to abandon his third in order to join the Company. He had, however, been more than happy to make introductions to Stahl—whom the budding Company had come to know under the name Adam Monroe.
Hiro, who had grown sad learning these things about his "uncle", paused at the mention of the name.
"Adam Monroe...was a very bad man," he informed them, a complex grief transcribed clearly through the simple words.
It had taken another five years—once his contemporary life had forcibly ended—before Konrad eventually joined their number. When Zimmerman had been recruited only a year later, the scientist's enthusiasm for what Konrad's uniquely multifaceted ability might be able to teach them had given rise to the first of many conflicts in their professional acquaintance. Their enmity had later been cemented in 1974 in a clash over the doctor's medical ethics, and his administration of an experimental formula to three infant girls—a pertinent detail Kate filed away safely for later.
In 1977, Konrad had helped Kaito uncover Adam's plot to unleash a virulent biological weapon, for which the latter immortal had ultimately been imprisoned. In 1984, Konrad had absorbed the Ghost's ability. As well as leaving him isolated, the event had left him unsuitable for work with a partner, and almost useless in the training new agents—facts to which Kaito attributed a growing depression. When Hiro's mother died in 1990, Kaito had found it difficult to maintain his devotion to the Company, and without her as his compass let certain things slip. In that same year, Konrad's former partner, Haram, had "retired" from the Company under mysterious circumstances. Though an actual friendship between the two had been made difficult by his condition, Haram's last partner, "Claude Raines", had been suspicious of the disappearance as well.
A year later, Zimmerman had encouraged core founder Bob Bishop to allow experimentation on his daughter's ability, and in the aftermath of that disaster, Konrad had petitioned for the doctor's dismissal. Brief mention was made of a boy named "Rene", who had removed the specifics of their time with the Company from Zimmerman and Barbara's memories. Kaito had left the Company in 1993, choosing to focus on his own corporation, Yamagato. However, he had kept in close contact with Konrad whenever possible, hoping to prevent the most recent memories from slipping away.
Kaito mentioned a visit in 1997, when Konrad had come to Japan to discuss his misgivings over a file that had crossed his desk. Hana Gitelman, a special being considered for recruitment, had born a strong resemblance to a woman he had encountered at Auschwitz. Konrad's personal investigation had confirmed that Hana was the granddaughter of Ruth Meisner, whom he had long suspected as the source of one of his acquired abilities. With this sudden reminder of his past, the Company's practice of bagging-and-tagging had begun to weight on his conscience—a fact he had shared with Kaito.
The final nail had come in 1999, when Konrad had utilized Kaito's own ability to predict that Claude's continued disillusionment with the Company would result in his execution at the hands of his partner. Konrad had warned Claude, who had chosen to see how it would play out. Afterward, Konrad had left, taking the time only to say his goodbyes to the incarcerated Adam, to Angela and to Kaito himself. Between them, Kaito and Angela had made the decision to slowly remove all files mentioning Konrad from the Company's archive, with Rene providing the few final touches needed to effect his complete his erasure from memory.
In the last words of his letter, Kaito relayed his hopes that his friend might somehow have found a measure of peace his life had so far denied him.
It was an incredible story, in every possible meaning of the word. They were all left processing the details in a stunned silence. Even Bennet seemed mildly taken aback—even Castle oddly subdued. Hiro was left standing as though he didn't know what to do with himself, shuffling the pages awkwardly in his hands. Though, as a small stiff paper fluttered out of his grasp, he was the first to break the silence.
"Kiteretsu!" Hiro exclaimed cheerily, drawing their attention. He retrieved the paper from the floor, answering their stares with a pleased smile. "I find picture."
Perhaps predictably, Castle was the first to recover in the face of Hiro's discovery.
"I can't wait to see what this guy looks like," he said, leaning in eagerly behind Hiro to get a peek at the photograph, "What if he has an eyepatch? Or a scar! Or—"
He cut off suddenly, the eager expression melting away abruptly into one of complete surprise. At the change Kate crowded in, dying to know what could have possibly rendered the writer so effectively speechless. What she saw left her numb with confused shock.
"Oh my God..."
PREV: Interlude 4 // MAIN // NEXT: Chapter Seven
Author's Note: I've tried to write this story so that someone who was a fan of only one series could understand what was going on. I like to think I've offered enough information for the Castle fans, particularly, since the plot of Heroes can be incredibly convoluted (and I also use a crap-ton of obscure comics canon that even a lot of Heroes fans might not know).
So please, please, please, if there is anything unduly confusing in the plot (as in, confusing in a non "this-is-a-mystery" kind of way), let me know so I can try to address it in the next chapter.
Translations:
"Uwasa o sureba kage." - Gossip (about someone) and their shadow (appears).
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no subject
Date: Monday, 3 October 2011 12:26 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: Monday, 3 October 2011 01:21 pm (UTC)From:The next chapter gives us the big reveal. I just hope I can pull it off the way I see it in my head.
no subject
Date: Monday, 3 October 2011 01:54 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: Monday, 3 October 2011 04:22 pm (UTC)From:Also the image of Castle as a kitten fighting a table leg and winning almost made me burst out laughing in the middle of Subway, so thanks for that. XD
I really need to watch more Heroes. It's inexcusable really, the S1 dvds are on top of the television at this moment. >_>
no subject
Date: Monday, 3 October 2011 04:56 pm (UTC)From:Please, please PM me your guess?! I set this up really hoping that someone would. XD
Also the image of Castle as a kitten fighting a table leg and winning almost made me burst out laughing in the middle of Subway, so thanks for that. XD
Castle, as a character is always really fun to write. It never seems to matter how much angst I heap on the boys, he manages to perk things up. He's like a breath mint of cheer.
I really need to watch more Heroes. It's inexcusable really, the S1 dvds are on top of the television at this moment. >_>
And Season 1 is the very best Heroes. They never did quite manage to match it.
no subject
Date: Monday, 3 October 2011 07:22 pm (UTC)From:Yes. Yes he is. Also lol breath mint of cheer.
So I've heard, my brother says the same thing, I just don't know what the problem is. I've probably seen the first two episodes five times now. Just...not so much of the rest.
no subject
Date: Tuesday, 4 October 2011 06:10 am (UTC)From:Either way. EEEE! Thickening thickening thickening plot. Like a good beef stew... just getting juicy and delicious. Mmmmm.
no subject
Date: Tuesday, 4 October 2011 06:22 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: Tuesday, 4 October 2011 10:47 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: Tuesday, 4 October 2011 09:12 pm (UTC)From:Again though, I went back and re-read up to here and I'm just like "OH MAN!!!" I knew you were good. I just didn't realize how much brain squish would occur because of it.
no subject
Date: Monday, 30 January 2012 01:20 am (UTC)From:I love the image. ^^
You are a very, very mean person. *nods*
I'm glad I don't have to wait.
no subject
Date: Monday, 30 January 2012 01:24 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: Saturday, 18 August 2012 12:54 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: Saturday, 18 August 2012 08:45 pm (UTC)From:Though whether or not the answers are acceptable is another thing entirely...
no subject
Date: Saturday, 14 July 2012 04:06 pm (UTC)From:And oh, this is wonderful history! My brain is already inserting it in my fanon past. Fortunately so much of it is unknown to the present characters that it's unlikely to come up, but it fits so wonderfully!
Though I must admit I stumbled a bit to find my ex's aunt Ruth Meisner included in the story. Though it was only my ex's father who spent time in the camps. Haha.
I think you've done a stellar job with including enough detail. I'd stayed away from this story for so long because I didn't know much about Castle. But this isn't a story *about* Castle. It's a story about the past of Heroes and it just happens to be affecting and involve Castle characters. That's awesome!
no subject
Date: Saturday, 14 July 2012 06:50 pm (UTC)From:Yeah, Ruth was actually kind of the launching point for this story becoming a Heroes story. Originally, it was going to be Highlander.
She's featured in a couple of the Hana-centric comics, and there's that one panel of I forget which one where she kicks that one Nazi's tooth out. And...yeah, it all basically came together from there.
Balancing crossovers can be weird. There's the danger of bias one way or the other, because there's often a specific audience the writer normally writes for, but also because sometimes there kind of has to be. If you put the characters on completely equal footing, or equalize things too soon, the fic can easily become boring.
When done right, a case!fic is great for keeping balance in a crossover, because while each set of characters has their own agendas and secrets and back-stories, those elements needn't be center stage competing with each other, and the bigger picture of the case can be an equal mystery to everyone involved.
(Though in this fic "case"="backstory", but...you know what I mean.)