Ever wonder what would happen if two heroes met and fell in love? Well, what if they were both GUYS?! After watching episode sixteen ("Unexpected"), I entertained the idea of Syler having feelings for Mohinder, and "Bad Karma" was born! Enjoy this Heroes spinoff!

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"Alright, well, I'm going to turn in. See you in the morning, Mohinder."

The Indian gentleman nodded, and turned, opening the door to his low-star motel room. He walked inside with a nonchalant 'goodnight', and the door clicked softly behind him. Syler, masquerading as Zane (the hero who could melt objects with his mind), took the key to his room from his pocket as he prepared to enter room 23.

Chnk

Huh?

Chnk, grrnd

"What the hell?" he muttered in frustration. The key slid into the lock just fine, but it refused to budge when he attempted to turn it.

"Goddamn receptionist…" he thought to himself, "She gave me the wrong key!"

He looked at his watch, a precision instrument he had constructed himself.

"Twelve-fifteen…" he sighed. She would have gone home by now, and the owner was long gone. What was he supposed to do now?

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Knock, knock.

"Zane? Is that you?" Mohinder's smooth British-accented voice questioned as he unlocked his room door. Zane was standing there, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket.

"Hey Mohinder," he greeted, withdrawing one hand to reveal his room key clutched in his fingers, "The receptionist gave me the wrong room key."

"Oh no," said Mohinder, running his fingers through his dark black curls, "she's probably left by now. Well, you can't just stay out in the cold, you can stay with me tonight."

"Are you sure?" he asked, his brow line creased with worry and self-consciousness. "I could just sleep in the car."

"Don't be silly!" the professor smiled, pulling Zane inside the room and shutting the door behind him. "There's a bed and a sofa, and I'm not worried about you raping me in the middle of the night."

Zane shuddered at the thought. "Yeah, definitely no need to worry about that. Thanks Mohinder, I'm really sorry about this."

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault!" Mohinder laughed, and walked into the bedroom. "Well, I'm turning in, see you in the morning."

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"Damn" Syler thought to himself as he stood in the room, watching Mohinder's chest gently rise and fall with each breath. "This isn't good. How am I supposed to sneak out and kill Dale when I'm sharing a room with the guy who thinks I'm only here to help?"

Well, it looked like Mohinder was asleep, if Syler was quiet…

"Heh" he smirked to himself, "Stealth has always been one of my strong points. Be back in a bit, Sleeping Beauty."

Syler walked to the other side of the room, putting on his jacket. As he was about to leave, Mohinder turned in bed and let out a soft sigh. Syler whipped around, heart racing in anticipation, but the Indian continued to slumber. Syler paused, his gaze absorbing the other man's peaceful form.

"Wow…" he mused, taking in the sight of Mohinder's long lashes and well-toned body, "Is it normal for any man to be that beautiful?"

Oh crap, he was checking out another dude. Guess it's time to commit some murder and steal some powers. He strode out the door, his face taking on a stony expression as the door gently settled in the frame behind him.

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The sound of a door shutting made Mohinder stir.

"Zane?" he murmured, rubbing his eye with the heel of his hand.

Silence.

Huh, must have been the wind. Mohinder slipped back into unconsciousness.

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The deed was done. Syler put the key he had taken from Mohinder's bag into the lock, turning it gently as he stepped inside. She had put up one hell of a fight, Syler was still breathing heavily from the struggle. But he had won, and now Dale's ability was his.

And what an annoying ability it was. It had taken all of his effort to keep from screaming at the racket that the sound of the key in the lock had produced.

"I should really think about what powers I want to take…" he groaned, his footsteps on the carpet sounding like a herd of elephants stampeding through the living room. Oh yeah. Have to return the key.

He walked as quietly as possible, each step similar to twenty-ton boulders falling onto cement. Strange analogy, but it was really loud. He reached Mohinder's bag, and put the key in the front pocket where he had found it. He straightened, and stared at Mohinder, still sleeping as peacefully as ever.

Syler's thoughts traveled to when he had killed Mohinder's father. His look of terror, the satisfying, copper-like smell of blood on his hands…and Mohinder's angry and determined expression as he told Syler about his death.

"All I know is that he's locked away…"

A small well of guilt bubbled up inside Syler. Heh, suppose there was still some slightly human aspect to him. He walked forward and gently brushed a strand of ebony hair from Mohinder's face, tucking it behind his ear. The professor shifted slightly, but continued to sleep.

"If we had met under different circumstances…" the killer sighed as he stood over the handsome man. No matter, tomorrow they would go to Dale's garage, and Mohinder would find the body. Time to brush up on his acting skills.

" 'Night, Professor Suresh. Maybe I could love you in the next life."

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And there you have it! Kind of silly, I know, but I thought they could be a cute pairing. Review if you feel the need, and be sure to get some good karma!

The Tainted Angel of Earth