"Clark, get to a t.v. right now. There's something on the news you might want to see."

Clark, who was criss-crossing Metropolis following leads on Westfield's location, got off the phone with Chloe and appeared at an electronics store that had t.v.s in the window. He saw Lex Luthor on the screen. At first he thought it had to be a re-broadcast of some old press conference. He was quickly surprised to see that it was live. It had to be an imposter. But who? When he saw Lex move a chair across the stage he was on, he knew who it had to be.

It's…Sylar. Oh my God. We're too late.

Once the broadcast was over, Clark dashed to Chloe's desk at the Daily Planet.

"Chloe, this is bad."

"Titanic-sized understatement, Clark."

"Have you tried getting in touch with Tess and Gabriel? I think it's time we started working together. I've been trying Tess's cell ever since the broadcast started, but no answer. You don't think…?"

"Clark…You must've missed the beginning of the broadcast. He said that Tess and Lionel were murdered. And how much do you wanna bet that Gabriel's dead, too?"

"No…I can't let him get away with this. I won't. I'm going to Lionel's office to see if I can find any clues as to what he did."

"Okay. I'll do some digging and try to find out more details of whatever it is Sylar's planning. Be careful."

Clark ran to Lionel's office building. He was disturbed by the fact that no one seemed to be there. What he saw when he walked into Lionel's office disturbed him much, much more. Tess and Gabriel were dead, lying in a pool of blood. Lionel was lying a few feet away from them. The gruesomeness of the sight before him took him completely off-guard. Unfortunately, he had seen more than his fair share of dead bodies, but few upset him more than the ones he saw right then. He started to run. He ran until he found Lex's limo leaving the scene of the press conference. Using his heat vision, he melted its tires. In the confusion he snagged "Lex's" body and ran to the roof of the Luthorcorp building.

"Clark, buddy, do we have some kind of problem?"

"Shut up! I know who you are and I know what you've done!"

"You let yourself into Lionel's office, did you? That's unfortunate. No one was supposed to see that."

"Well I did and you're gonna pay for the murders you've committed."

"Oh, am I now?"

"I'm not sure if you realize this, but the real Gabriel Gray is a dead man. No one would believe you if you went to the police."

"Who said anything about going to the police?"

Clark grabbed him and leaned him against the side of the roof, holding on to his shirt collar.

"Need I remind you that I have the same radioactive abilities as Peter? If you drop me, I'll go nuclear before I hit the ground, take out half the city."

Clark screamed and threw him to the center of the roof.

"Hahahahaha. Face it. There's nothing you can do. You won't kill me and that's the only way you can stop me. But I will say that I admire the guts it took to pull the stunt you just pulled. Reminds me of something Peter would do. Where is he, by the way?"

"He's around."

Thanks to another ability he had gained the past few days, he knew that Clark was lying.

"Well, say hello for me."

"Lex" lifted his hands up and fired to balls of nuclear energy at Clark that sent flying over the roofs of a half dozen buildings. When he got to his feet, Clark could see with his special vision that Sylar was gone.

Back at the Daily Planet, Chloe was trying quickly trying to finish a fluff piece for the paper so she could get back to what was really important. As she was typing her last few lines, her mind began to drift.

Peter, if you're planning to show up at the last minute to save the day, now would be a really good time. Clark's strong, obviously, but he's never gone up against anyone this powerful. Where are you?

Back in Smallville, Clark was doing his best to comfort his mom, who was upset at the news of Lionel's murder.

"Who is this guy, Clark, and why would he harm Lionel?"

"He's a metahuman serial killer obsessed with gaining power in every meaning of the word. He killed Lex and decided to use Lex's money to further his own ends. Lionel was just a potential problem, like my friends. "

"You've encountered your fair share of heartless monsters, but-"

"He's possibly the worst? Yeah, Mom, I know. I hate myself for saying this, but the only way to stop him may be to-"

"Don't even say it, Clark. Don't even think it. Yes, he's killed people we loved and who knows how many others, but you're nothing like him. Don't let this guy change you or your ideals. Your father would say the same thing if he were here."

"You're right. I don't have the right to take his life. I'll have to find another way."

"And I know you will."

Chloe, in full reporter mode, became tired of sitting at a desk and was snooping around a huge tent in Weisinger Park where reportedly samples of the "cure" would start being given out the next day. After a few minutes of gathering what info she could, she decided to make a quick exit when suddenly there stood Peter Petrelli leaning against a lamp post.

"Hey, Chloe, long time, no see. Miss me?"

Without saying a word, she ran over to him and forced him into her arms. When she was about to let go and start asking questions, he pulled her close and kissed her more passionately than he ever had before.

"Oh…wow. That was…new."

"That's what happens when I'm away from you for too long. Speaking of me being away, what's happened since I left?"

"Nothing good. Sylar's taken Lex's place, and killed Tess, Gabriel, and Lionel Luthor. And he's trying to build himself superpower shopping malls. I'll explain more once Clark gets here, but before he does, could you kiss me one more time?"

"There's nothing I'd rather do."

Chloe never fancied herself one of these uber-romantic types, she felt that everything would be okay now that Peter was back and she was in his arms. She felt completely at ease. That is, until he pulled out a knife and stabbed her in the chest.

"It's…you."

Her entire world began crashing down. She's a reporter. How could she have been fooled like this? She let her love for Peter blind her and now she was paying the ultimate price for it.

"You know, I usually just cut people's heads open with TK when I kill them, but once I found out how much you meant to Peter, I decided to break my rules for you."

He shifted his form back to that of his true self, Sylar.

"I wanted to be up close. I wanted you to feel loved, and then take that feeling away, and I wanted to be holding you when I did it. Boy, is Peter gonna be mad at me. Well, bye."

He changed back into Lex and walked into the darkness.

Chloe could feel the life fading from her fast. She thought she was hallucinating when Clark appeared beside her.

"Chloe…you're gonna be fine okay? I'm here now."

It only took a second for Clark to realize that even with his speed, she'd be gone by the time a docter could help her. He resigned himself to just be there for her as she took her last few breaths. In what seemed at first like a cruel, cosmic joke, Peter appeared before them, dropped to his knees and began to weep.

"Chloe! No!"