(23) So It Begins

Noah didn't come out again, leaving Sylar alone. It took a few hours for Sylar to calm down. He was starting to second-guess himself. Had he been too hard on Noah? When was it enough? The poor boy had been slammed from all sides on one day, Christmas Day at that. Sylar made some coffee & went out to sit on the porch. He watched the Mediterranean crash lazily on its shore. As he slowly relaxed, he started thinking on how to repair the damage now between him & his son for the first time in their lives. They had never driven each other away before now. Perhaps that's why Noah needed such a strong, hard lesson now. Sylar had been too soft with him.

At the same time, Sylar realized he was relieved. Noah knew about him now. There was no more fretting about it. The cat was out of the bag. It sure as hell didn't go as planned, but it was done now. Done & over with. No, not completely over with. Noah knew now but they had yet to actually talk about it. Well what better way to start talking than over something to eat? He got up & headed for the kitchen.

A while later, he placed two plates on the table, then went to the stairs. "Come on Noah, it's time to eat!" Sylar hollered up the stairs. "Noah? Get down here right—" He stopped himself, realizing his voice was harsh & snappy. Trying to maintain some control, in a softer voice, he tried again, "Come on, Noah. You must be hungry?" There was no answer. After a minute or two, Sylar went back to the table alone. "Fine, go ahead & starve," He muttered to himself. He began eating, expecting Noah to show up halfway through like he usually did if he had been rudely awakened.

But Noah didn't show up. Sylar ended up covering the extra plate & putting it in the fridge for later. He went to the living room & sat down to check his phone. There had been a message left from almost an hour ago. It was from Tirzah. He listened to it.

"Gabriel? Is Jason there? He ran away!"

Sylar dropped his phone & teleported into Noah's room. It was empty! "Great!" Sylar passed one hand through his hair. "Now what?" He looked around. There was a folded piece of paper on the pillow. Sylar picked it up & opened it.

'Sorry Dad, but you've forced me to choose between you or Jason. I'm going to be with him.

When I saw a video of Claire, I thought she was like me, getting her power after the explosion like how I got mine after I got run over. I thought maybe you didn't know & had assumed she was dead. That is why I went after her. I wanted to bring her home to surprise you. I wanted my family together! That's the real reason I didn't tell you. Her being alive & home was supposed to be your Christmas present.

While in America, there were two other people who told me something you had once said. The power made you do it. You didn't ask for it. I don't understand exactly what it all means, but I get it wasn't your fault. What I can't get over right now is how brutal it all was. How could you do that? But it doesn't matter right now. Maybe someday we can talk about it. But not now.

I really hate the mess I made, but I'm nearly eighteen. You have no right to take Jason away from me. I'm going with him. See you in a couple of centuries, maybe. Noah'

Sylar ended up smiling a little in spite of it. "I thought Asexuals didn't have hormones." Either not understanding or not caring how off he was on that topic, he went back for his phone & called Tirzah.

"Hello Gabriel," Nehemiah answered instead. "Is Jason with you?"

"No but I think he's with Noah," Sylar said. "He ran away too."

"We know," Nehemiah said. "Noah showed up looking for Jason so they aren't together yet."

"Noah's at your place?"

"Not any more," Nehemiah said. "He ran off before I could grab him. I'm driving around looking for either one of them."

"I'll get the bike & join you out there."

"Is that a good idea?"

"Let's get our boys back," Sylar said. "We'll deal with the idiots after we catch them. I'll get my Kabbalah on it as well."

"Alright," Nehemiah hung up. He felt slightly safer when those from the group joined the search. If worse came to worse, perhaps their combined powers could hold off Sylar for a bit.

They searched Haifa for almost two hours. Everyone from Sylar's group had come out & even Yacov showed up. It was late in the evening but there had been no sign of either Noah or Jason. By the time night fell, everyone had divided into pairs for shift work over night. The half that would be off would sleep in the small temple they used so it would be quicker to rotate every two hours. But there was no sign of either of them & by the time dawn started to approach, both Sylar & Nehemiah were beginning to wonder if they had over done it. It was their turn to take a break. Jessica, Yacov & Raphael were also there but sleeping in a small side room.

Sylar made some coffee in his office & poured it into two cups. He handed one to Nehemiah. "Have you ever hit Jason?" He suddenly randomly asked.

"Sure all the time," Nehemiah said. Sylar stared at him. "Would you relax? I've never beaten him black & blue. But nothing wrong with a good cuff to get them in line. Spare the rod, spoil the child."

"I've never done it, until yesterday," Sylar admitted. "On Christmas too."

"Oh," Nehemiah took a sip of his coffee before going on. "I know some people somehow manage to not spank their kids. Sometimes it works. You've done well with Noah."

"Until now," Sylar scoffed. "I've really screwed him up this time."

Nehemiah put his cup aside. "I take it he knows about your, uh, alter ego now?"

"Alter ego," Sylar laughed mirthlessly. "Yeah. He does. Oh I had everything planned perfectly for his birthday. I wanted him to hear it from me. Now his vision of me is shattered beyond repair. I can't put the pieces back together again."

"You will repair it Gabriel," Nehemiah said, deliberately choosing to use the given name despite the fact that the glasses were gone. "It will never be the same but you will fix it better than any of us could if we were in your place. You & Noah have plenty of time."

"That's the only good thing right now," Sylar replied. They left the office & slowly walked through the temple, eventually ending up on the raised stage at the front. "I've never been up here."

"You haven't?"

"Why would I be?" Sylar shrugged. "I'm no preacher. I'm atheist. I can help them with powers but they do their own stuff with the religion."

Nehemiah looked over the area. "Jason would have made a good Rabbi."

"I'm sure he'll get back to it," Sylar said.

"No," Nehemiah disagreed. "We banned him for what he did, taking Noah out like that."

"Oh, I see."

"He had a gift of memory," Nehemiah went on. "He knows eighty-seven percent of his Torah off by heart so far & is learning more of it."

Sylar's intuition was suddenly perked. "An ability perhaps?"

"Just good memory," Nehemiah shrugged. "I doubt any ability would affect that."

"Uh it can," Sylar began. "...so I let her go. Can't win against time travellers. But Charlie was the one that really got away from me."

"Soooo in other words," Nehemiah slowly started. "I keep Jason well away from you when we find him."

Sylar laughed. "I'm not going to kill him. I am letting Noah assume that though, but no, I won't."

"You're letting Noah assume that?" Nehemiah couldn't help but laugh as well. "You can be evil when you want to be."

"I try to be," Sylar teased, glancing around as both heard the thud of a door.

"Bit early to rotate yet, isn't it?"

They watched for a bit before Sylar said, "I don't think that's someone changing shifts." They saw a figure go into Sylar's office. The place was mostly dark as it was still just before dawn so they were not seen. "Nehemiah, I think it's Noah!" Sylar ran forward with Nehemiah close behind.

The light went on as both entered to find Noah on the office phone. Noah slowly lowered it as Sylar & Nehemiah came in. He tried to run around the desk to avoid them but Sylar pinned Noah to the wall by force alone.

Nehemiah moved forward a little but remained slightly to Sylar's side, out of the line of force power between father & son. "Noah, where's Jason?"

"I don't know."

"Don't lie to me!"

"He isn't," Sylar said. After a questioning look from Nehemiah, Sylar added, "I have an ability to detect lies." Nehemiah rolled his eyes. "Noah, what are you doing here?"

"You took my phone," Noah answered. "Nothing's open right now but I know where the spare key is to your temple. I thought I could call Jason from here. What are you doing here?"

"The entire Kabbalah that are under me are all out looking for you," Sylar said. "Let's go home."

"I'm not going with you," Noah said.

"You don't have much choice in the matter."

"I'll just leave again."

"You don't even know where Jason is," Sylar pointed out. "Where you going to go?" Noah had no answer. "Thought so. You're coming home with me."

"Rabbi Gray?" Jessica came into the office. She gasped at seeing Noah. "Oh you found them!"

"No," Sylar shook his head. "Just him. I'm taking him home. Work with Nehemiah to find the other one." He pulled back, yanking Noah into his arms, & teleported home with him. He didn't let go for a long time as they stood in silence on the living room floor. "I'm so sorry, Noah," Sylar finally whispered. "I never meant for any of this to happen this way."

Noah pushed him away at last. "I don't care about any apology! That is NOT what I want from you so save it! Sorry means absolute shit to me right now!"

"Then what do you want from me?" Sylar asked quietly. Noah crossed his arms & looked away. "Noah, we have a lot to go through. We have to start somewhere. Tell me what you want, please?"

Noah let his arms drop as he glared at has father. "Not what, WHO & you damn well know it!"

"Jason."

"Yes, Jason!" Noah snapped. "I demand you give him back to me or you will lose me, I swear! I will hate you for eternity! I already hate you enough as it is for everything else you did but I can eventually forgive it. I just need some time. But Jason is non negotiable!" Sylar reached out to put a hand on Noah's shoulder. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH ME RIGHT NOW!" Noah stepped away.

"I have to," Sylar replied as gently as possible. "More than one of my abilities requires touch. It will help me understand you better." He slowly reached out again & this time, Noah let him; though he wasn't happy about it & scowled through the whole thing. Sylar passed both hands over his son's shoulders, down his back, then on his face. The rage & hate was evident enough even without abilities. Noah's deepest desire was not only to be with Jason, but also to take him far away to keep him safe. Sylar moved closer & put their foreheads together. "Ah Noah," Sylar sighed. "I did this to you." He slowly pulled up Noah's hands to hold them between their chests. "I'm not actually going to kill Jason. I wouldn't dream of it. I just let you assume that so it would be easier to control you, or so I thought."

"You don't want to kill him?"

"No," Sylar said. "I had a chat with his parents & we all agreed to separate you two." He looked into Noah's eyes. "His parents are in on this. I'm not going to kill anyone over it."

"Why would his parents do that?" Noah asked. "I thought they liked me?"

"They do," Sylar said. "It's just they were worried that what you two did, sneaking off to New York like that, might set me off. Unleash this monster within. They're just being careful. Mortal folks are like that you know, even without me around."

"The monster within," Noah echoed. "Sylar. But it is out. I saw it yesterday."

"I let you see Sylar as I was way too mad & hurt at what you did," Sylar admitted. "You knew by then so I figured it wouldn't matter. It can't hurt you even if it wanted to & it did want to. You were perfectly safe & I had the time to calm down & get it back under control which was most important. I'm sure you know why now."

"I know why!" Noah looked away. "So you won't go on a killing spree."

"Right."

"How could you even! What you did!" Noah exclaimed. In a cracked voice he asked, "Why?"

"The ability I was born with has a sort of hunger," Sylar began. "It demanded more of me than even I could understand. Turned me into a killer. I tried so hard, more than once, but until Shlomo got to me, I was on my own. I got born with it & it's genetic. I got it from my father, Samson Gray, but he never got help like I did. He killed a lot more. Fortunately he was mortal & died, but not before passing on the Gray curse. I was worried you would get it."

"Me?" Noah gasped in a shock whisper. "I could get that power?"

"Well I don't think so now," Sylar said. "You got that super-regen instead. I hope it ends with me. I didn't ask for this Noah, but I have become Death now, doomed to forever walk this Earth since in a cruel twist of irony, I myself can not die. I just need to keep this under control."

"When was the last time you killed someone?" Noah asked. "ISIS doesn't count."

"In that case, it would be five thousand years from now but also almost eighteen years back from now," Sylar managed a short laugh. "I've tried many times to get control of this thing. But when your mom gets pregnant with you, it gave me some incentive to really fight it. I was able to control it just before you were born. Then with Shlomo's help in this era, I'm able to keep it confined."

"When I saw Sylar yesterday, I thought maybe you had reverted back to your old self."

"That was kind of the idea," Sylar shrugged. "I had enough control of it to not do that." He stepped backwards, still holding on to Noah's hands as he pulled him towards the dining area. "But that was not the first time you met Sylar, was it?" He sat Noah down in the exact same chair as on the night he had come him with an activated ability & leaned back against the bar counter. "When you got your ability, it kind of came out."

"I KNEW something was weird!"

"You reminded me of your mother on the day I took her power," Sylar explained. "I told you exactly what I told her. I was seeing her again, not you. That's what set it off that time. So I left you for a bit until I could calm down."

"That explains why I would find you in the garage some times," Noah said. "It looked like you were fighting some mental battle."

"Oh I am, even to this day," Sylar said. "Haven't hidden in the garage for years though. That was still in my early years, during Shlomo's training. Anyway, you weren't supposed to see those. Kind of the reason why I'd run off to the garage all the time back then."

Noah shrugged it off. "It also really explains why you'd do so well as a killer in a slasher movie."

Sylar doubled over in laughter for a moment. "Yup! Oh did I ever have fun with you idiots that night!"

"Jason wasn't very impressed with you," Noah complained.

"Neither were you," Sylar was still laughing. When he finally calmed down, he came to sit in the chair next to Noah. "Hey, that was me as Gabriel though. Neither of you were ever in any real danger. I was just having a bit of fun, considering what you two were watching."

Noah nodded silently as he wiped away a few lingering tears. He couldn't look his father in the eye anymore & he was done talking to him. As Sylar watched over him, waiting for an audible response, he understood that Noah had at last flown the nest. Noah reminded him of a wild rabbit hiding, waiting for the first chance to bolt. Sylar knew it was highly unlikely Noah would stay here in the home they had shared for nearly Noah's entire life so far, He had to let Noah go in the hopes that somewhere in time, they could find a way to each other again. But did their separation have to be so harsh? If only they had made it to Noah's eighteenth birthday. If only, but it was way too late now.

As if on cue, Noah pushed back from the table & stood up. He looked around the place for a moment. "I honestly didn't expect to come back here," he finally spoke. "I grew up here. This place was my home. All four of us were supposed to be here today. I didn't plan on losing everything," He turned to glare at Sylar. "And everyone. I know you can hold me back even without touching me. Uncle Luke sent me the list of all the powers they know about. What you do to me is telekinetic. I have to get Jason back. He's all I have left. So either you let me walk out that door, or you find some way of killing me today because I have no intention of staying here with nothing."

"I know," Sylar replied softly. "But if you walk out that door, you'll be throwing it all away, including Jason."

"I thought you said you weren't going to kill him?!"

"I'm not," Sylar said. "But you don't know where he is. None of us do. You have no place to go right now. Then there's the matter of school & the military as well. Really Noah, have you even thought this through?"

"I'll find him!"

"Sure & then both of you get picked up by the ISIS or some such faction," Sylar replied. "You can't die, but he can. You on the other hand, will wish you could die once those sort get their hands on you."

Noah looked away, softly weeping. "I need Jason. It's hard for people like us to find partners. Aces are extremely picky & there are few of us. We're not just your regular pair of lovebirds who can just get with anyone. It takes years for most of us to find someone suitable."

"I know," Sylar said. "I know, slow burn it's called." Noah stared at the floor. Sylar watched him for a while. Noah looked absolutely defeated & broken. It is what Sylar had wanted, right? But now even he wasn't so sure any more. He knew a parent should not negate on their plan of control, but maybe they all had gone just a little overboard. "Give me a year, Noah. That's all I ask. Just one more year."

Noah barely raised his head to look at him. "Why?"

"You have to redo your past school year," Sylar began. "Double training in the military. Grade two during summer. If you do all that, you can get all your credits."

"I don't care."

"I'm not finished," Sylar went on. "If you do all that & don't put another toe out of line, then & only then, I'll allow you to see Jason again."

"You'll let me see him?" Noah exclaimed.

"Only if you don't screw up again!" Sylar all but glared. "Listen very carefully. If you stay here at home, you have a very long, very hard year ahead of you. One wrong move & Jason's memory will be wiped. Think you can do that?"

"Dad...I..." Noah ran forward & jumped into his father's arms.

Sylar held his son close again, feeling some sense of normality return. "I mean it Noah. One wrong move! You won't be going on any trips either even if I would normally approve them. You are to stay home & work your ass off! Do you understand?"

"Mhm," Noah all but sobbed in relief.

"If all goes well, maybe Jason can kiss your sore ass better next year."

Noah shoved Sylar away. "I hate you." Sylar just laughed. "I have a condition of my own then."

"You're not in much of a position to negotiate," Sylar warned.

"No negotiations," Noah defended. "But you owe us both a new gold band."

"Alright," Sylar agreed. "If you guys are still interested next year, I will buy rings for both of you. I'll pay for the entire wedding."

"Can I get that in writing?" Noah asked.

Sylar smacked him over the top of his head. "Smart ass. You get that mouth from your mother!" Noah managed a short life in spite of himself. "I mean it," Sylar went on. "Those are definitely Claire's lips. You have so much of her in you." Noah rolled his eyes. Sylar moved forward & took up Noah's hand. "I know this next year is going to be very strange for you. I'm not talking about your double workload or Jason. I mean me. You know something about me now & I know you have questions. So do I. We need to have a really long talk about that later."

"Yep," Noah replied slowly. "I still can't fathom how I'm the son of...of a..." He pulled his hand away.

Sylar moved away, feeling hurt. "I know I deserved that from you. I knew this day was coming but now that it's finally here..." He looked into Noah's eyes. "You can say it Noah. Let's not try to hide it any more. It's okay to use the terms to describe me. I am a murderer. A serial killer. The best one in the world, the most feared & most deadly! Even though I stopped years ago, for your sake no less, it is what it is. I have the death penalty over my head all across America even though they can't kill me. There is no question about it, I did some heinous crimes back in the day as a mass murderer. Why deny it, especially now?"

"I know it had something to do with the power you were born with," said Noah. "You didn't get trained like Shlomo did. You weren't in control. But did you have to be so...so b-brutal?" He was reduced to tears once more.

Sylar waited for him to calm down before answering. "That has to do with the powers as well," He began. "Exciting the adrenals makes the powers bubble up. It made me stronger than Peter who I hated the moment I laid eyes on him. Feeling is mutual. We never got along. I can see the power work & can copy it in better detail than he could. It's why I chased your mom all through her house. I had her running like a scared rabbit. She didn't know she can't die at the time & I didn't tell her until after. She stabbed me that day."

"Good!" Noah stated.

Sylar smiled shortly before going on. "I do really hate what happened. But after coming here to Israel, someone once told me to not let these powers I have go to waste. Don't let them die in vain. It helps me get through the day some times."

Noah was leaning over the bar counter by now, head in hands. He slowly looked up at his father. "Can you promise me that you will never murder anyone again outside of this war?"

"Absolutely not," Sylar said, surprising Noah. "I have one more murder planned but I have to wait five thousand years. Ohh does that ever piss me off!"

Noah rolled his eyes again. "Okay, besides Uncle Peter, can you promise me you will never murder anyone again?"

"Of course! Definitely!" Sylar quickly promised. "No problem. Even Shlomo said I won't kill for powers again. So yeah, I'm sure I won't."

Noah nodded as he stood straight. "This is going to take me a long time to come to terms with."

"Noah," Sylar whispered. "Take all the time you need."

"I know the deal is for me to stay home for one more year," Noah said. "But I have to admit, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that. I want to make it work. I want Jason back but I also want my Dad back. I have no idea how to do that!"

"Oh God! If only you had waited for your eighteenth birthday," Sylar lamented.

"Why? What were you planning for my birthday?"

Sylar looked his son over. "I was going to take you to New York City myself." Noah stared at him. "I was going to bring you there, show you the sites including Ground Zero & then, I was going to show you..." Sylar voice faltered. "I was going to show you me. I wanted to tell you. I had it all planned. I wanted you to hear it from me. Ariel was going to help me but she got gunned down for being born Jewish. I've seen a lot of death in my life, I caused most of it. But I have never seen someone killed for their faith like that. That did something to me. But anyway, you ruined everything. Noah? It should have been me! You took that right away from me by your disobedience! If only you had waited."

"I am so sorry Dad," Noah replied in a broken voice.

"This is the first apology from you I actually believe," Sylar said.

"You know, when we first found out about all this," Noah started. "Jason & I wondered how Ariel died. We thought maybe you might have killed her but used that raid as a cover."

"No, I didn't kill her," Sylar said. "I soaked up her power when we...well you don't like THAT topic, but anyway, we were out on a date after that sort of thing when the raid happened. Noah, I do not kill anyone for their race, their faith & that includes Muslims, most are fine people; their sexuality or gender. For stuff like that, I am very open & supportive of. It was just a literal power struggle back then. Had nothing to do with who they were, only what they owned. Ariel died for being Jewish, not at my hands. I tried protecting her, but there were too many."

"I believe you," Noah said. "Also, I'm glad I was wrong about you concerning Mom."

"Yeah I don't rape people either, Noah! You blithering idiot!" Sylar muttered. "But, back in the past, I did still harass her to a point. I was a bit of a love sick pervert but I never went that far with her. Then, in the future, it will all be different. I do love your mother, Noah & she will love me back. It's just a long time from now."

"I know that now."

"Alright," Sylar began moving for the stairway. "Now, what do you say we go upstairs, get your phone & call Jason?"

"Really?"

"Uh-uh, just to bring him home Noah," Sylar reminded him. "You are grounded for a year, over a year actually. Not until your nineteenth birthday & before you bring up the 'I'll be eighteen soon' argument, sorry but I have your school & your commander backing me up. You screwed up big time. You owe all of us this extra year!"

"I know, I know! But I can tell him that, can't I?" Noah countered. "He'll definitely want to come home for sure."

"Just find out where he is," Sylar ordered as they headed upstairs. "I'll call his parents & explain our new plan." He handed Noah his own phone back then called Jason's parents. Noah moved into the hall & quickly called Jason.

"Noah, how are you doing?" Jason answered.

"Better," Noah said. "I tried running away to find you though."

"I'll come get you in a few days."

"Where are you?" Noah asked. "Everyone is turning Haifa upside-down looking for you."

"I'm in Jerusalem," Jason said. "I'm going to re-establish myself here to become a Rabbi. As soon as I have the courses set up to finish my schooling here, I'll come get you after the holidays."

"Jason," Noah hesitated. He looked into his father's room to see Sylar watching him, still on the phone with Nehemiah. "Something happened over here. I don't really know what. Can you come home? Now?"

"No, I'm not set up yet."

"Jason, you need to come home, right now," Noah ordered. He waited by there was no answer. Noah tried again. "Dad & I came to an agreement." He explained, ending with, "I really wish we had waited for my birthday now."

"They want to keep us separate for a year & a half?" Jason finally groaned.

"I know it's long, but we did really screw up," Noah said. "Besides, I have a lot to do since I have to start over with school & all. We will graduate together next year at least & we will be together then since that's after my, uh, well the day we are using as my birthday."

"I guess," Jason replied glumly. "But if I go home, I won't become a Rabbi in Haifa."

"Jason, I just talked the greatest killer in the world out of banning me from you for life," Noah said. "I'm sure you can talk your parents down somehow. They all admit to over-reacting with us."

"My father will never back down," Jason said. "It's over between us, me & my Dad I mean. I'm never speaking to him again after what he did. I've left the family."

"Oh," Noah replied dejectedly.

"Look if they are going to allow us back together when we turn nineteen, I might as well just stay here & work on becoming a Rabbi," Jason said. "I'll come get you for your birthday next year."

"I really miss you."

"I miss you to," Jason said. "I'll be right there on your next birthday. By sun up ok?"

"I look forward to it," Noah replied quietly. After hanging up, he leaned on the railing & looked down into the entrance. It was hard to believe it, but Jason wasn't coming back any time soon.

"Noah?" Sylar came up behind him.

Noah shook his head. "He's not coming back anyway."

"Did you guys just break up?"

"No," said Noah. "He had a huge fight with his father. He doesn't want to come back. I told him about being allowed to see him again next year. He'll come here for my birthday then but to take me home with him. He won't stay. He wants nothing to do with his father." He looked up at Sylar. "I kind of understand that feeling. I hate that!"

"We literally have all of eternity to sort that out," Sylar said. "Just know that I'm not like that any more. I can act it out but I left that life so far behind, it seems like another lifetime ago. Your lifetime."

Noah tiredly rubbed his eyes with his fingertips. "I really wish you could erase my memory of Sylar."

"Things would have been so different if you had just listened to me," Sylar said. Noah merely shrugged & began heading downstairs. Sylar clapped a hand on his shoulder, making Noah look back at him. "Now where is he?"

"I told you," Noah said. "He isn't coming back."

"He doesn't have any choice in the matter," Sylar replied. "His parents need him back."

"But if he comes back here, he can't become a Rabbi," Noah said. "That's his life's dream. He's gone to try again somewhere else. Away from his father." He turned back to try going downstairs again.

"Noah," Sylar called in a warning voice.

Noah blinked back a tear. Damn it, would he ever stop crying? "You would destroy that for him?" Noah asked. "If his father gets his hands on him, it'll all be over."

"That isn't our problem," Sylar said. "I'm sure he can go back to doing what he is doing later. He needs to come home. Now, last chance or the deal is off!"

Noah shook his head in defeat once more. "He's in Jerusalem."

"Thank you for your cooperation," Sylar held up his own phone. "Did you get that Nehemiah?"

"Sure did," Nehemiah said. "We're leaving now."

"Good luck," Sylar said before hanging up. He passed his son on the stairs, each sharing a dark quiet glare. Noah turned back & went to his room instead, closing the door. Sylar jumped a little at the door slam. He stood in the large bay window & looked at the blue ocean. "So it begins..."