(32) Reunion
It had been a long time since Claire had known about Sylar. By now, she no longer remembered Peter either. Though both kept an eye on her, neither made themselves known to her. She still remembered the Bennet side of her family, barely. But the Petrelli side was currently gone now, along with any connection to the Gray family.
Peter stayed out of history's way as much as possible. He kept his promise of leaving Claire behind. Though he would occasionally check up on her for Sylar's sake or to refresh the block on her memories, he hardly ever interacted with her again. As centuries past, Peter retreated more & more into Israel, working with Sylar in the background so long as it didn't have affect on major historical events apart from the ones he & Sylar had planned & prepared for. He also kept any contact with Noah Gray to a minimum as well. All three knew this round through the next five millennia would have some changes, but those changes had to be minor to ensure the birth of Noah Gray in the first place.
Claire, unfortunately, had been cut right out of their lives. Peter didn't trust her again after several years of trying to dodge her incessant attack on him. Sylar stayed away, waiting for the day they would be reunited & Noah, who Claire would not meet until he was born, was kept out of her life completely.
There were several moments in her life that Claire could not explain to herself. It seemed whenever she was in danger, sometimes her position would suddenly change. Once, she had been trapped in a hotel room in an attempt to hide from someone who had found out about her immortality & had wanted to use her, but the next instant, she was standing on a beach on the other side of the country, somewhere on Rhode Island, having no clue how she had gotten there. All she knew was that some unseen thing had latched onto her arm. She turned to look, but no one was there. Odd things like that happened to her a lot. Claire could not understand why. It had been going on for years. Decades. Centuries.
Ages.
For the moment, Claire was safe at home in Ohio with her current boyfriend. It had been a while since any strange encounters had happened. It had been a while since she had partnered up. The problem was, everyone she ever fell for eventually died on her. Any children she ever had with anyone had also grown old & died. No one Claire knew had the same power she had: Regen. A curse that kept her young, healthy & immortal. She was alone even when she would let someone in. She would know what was to come. All her relationships ended the same.
Claire began to hate being alone more than anything else.
Raising her left arm, she tapped the microchip just under the skin to bring up a screen. After locking into the global interface, Claire sat back on the couch to watch something. The chip had been protested by many at first, claiming it was the mark of the beast. But by now, those folks had died out & the world was settled once more. The technology had come out of Israel from someone named Gabriel Gray. Claire didn't know much about him other than Israel thought he was their Messiah. In any case, he seemed to stay in the background, as if dodging fame as much as possible. So she was rather surprised to see him on the news. It was impossible to find pictures of the man at all, yet now he was appearing on screen.
"I thought that guy was a myth," her boyfriend said as he came in to sit beside her.
"Apparently not, Adrian," Claire shrugged, moving over to make some room.
"I've looked for picture of Israel's fabled Messiah," Adrian said. "Can't find anything on him. Wonder why he is showing up all of a sudden?"
"Guess we'll find out," said Claire. "Who's that guy beside him? The one with a scar across his face?"
"No idea."
"A long time ago, the barriers we had put around the Mediterranean Sea as well as the Galilee has kept this land safe to this day from encroaching water on either side," Sylar was saying. "We are now focusing on America. The eastern land shelf has been dipping lower into the Atlantic for a long time, now. All it would take is a good quake to bring it down completely. Manhattan is at major risk. It is time to start retreating. This operation will take several years to clear the danger zones. Unlike the Galilee or the Mediterranean, which are very small & easily managed, the Atlantic on the other hand, is the largest ocean on the planet. No barrier will stop it from coming in. We will instead, focus on making inland cities higher with barriers surrounding them."
"These barriers are strong even though they are see-through," Peter added. "We first tested them around what is now known as the Titanic International Oceanic Park down under the Atlantic Ocean. No one can entire the wreckage on salvage hunts any more since there is no more water or air inside the box we put her in, but that old wreck is still safe to this day because of this technology, despite all the shifting change down there. Now they keep Israel & any country bordering the Mediterranean & Galilee safe. America, Canada & others are next, starting with New York as it is the most urgent."
"Whoa!" Claire exclaimed. "Glad I don't live in New York!"
"I've heard about this," said Adrian. "Manhattan has shrunk a bit already & you can see some of it under water. They've even had to redo the Statue of Liberty a few times. I like the dark blue one we have right now."
"Yeah, it's nice," Claire sighed. "You know, some people won't want to move."
"Well, that will be their problem," said Adrian. "I gotta take the car in. Damn thing won't hover more than an inch any more. If I let it go any longer, I'll have to put wheels on it like what people used to do."
Claire laughed. "I dimly remember reading about those cars." She turned off the interface screen as Adrian left, then tapped the chip to shut it down. It was similar to where one used to wear watches. Though some people still kept high tech watches, by now such things were becoming more of a collector's item. Perhaps someday, watches would disappear altogether.
Sylar stretched out under a canopy over the sand. "I hate having to go live on screen," he said as Peter came in. "If she sees us now & then, maybe sometime later, she might think about us."
"Well, we'll just erase her again," Peter shrugged, dropping down beside Sylar. After a long moment, he added, "I'm starting to remove memories of the Bennets now."
"Great," Sylar groaned.
Peter looked at him. "At least it's temporary."
"I know," sighed Sylar. "Claire is going to be so mad at me when we save her."
"Yep," Peter laughed.
Sylar pushed himself up a little so that he was leaning back on his arms. "Have you heard from Noah?"
"Not yet," Peter shrugged.
"He always stops calling for a bit whenever we have to go on screen," said Sylar.
"Why?"
"Because he knows what we do," Sylar replied. "We erase his mother's memory of us, again. He doesn't like it, but he accepts it."
"At least he understands why we're doing it," said Peter.
"You screwed up & removed me from history for all this time."
"I know," Peter sighed. "Man, do I ever regret that now."
"Don't," Sylar said. "Noah would not exist if you didn't. He is the only child of mine that will live through eternity with us."
"I shouldn't have thrown you so far ahead," said Peter.
"We'll get through it," Sylar sat up all the way.
"How?" asked Peter. "They still call you the Messiah, even now. You're trying to dodge the fame as much as possible, but still, you are a bit of a celebrity."
"So are you," Sylar pointed out. Peter glared at him. "Oh come on, Peter! Who's stupid idea was it to test those barriers on that dumb ship down there?"
"She's not a dumb ship!"
"I never got into it like you & half the planet did," Sylar laughed.
"Look, I didn't exactly plan it like that," Peter defended. "I didn't expect the barriers to actually work all that well. I thought that place would be a good area to test them on. Then it worked quite well & viola! I accidentally ended up preserving her & now, nearly two thousand years later, people still talk about it."
Sylar just laughed again. "You idiot!"
"Shut up, Sy!" Peter ordered, earning more laughter. "How much longer before I can kill you, again?"
"You do know that would make you the Antichrist if you do that, right?" Sylar teased. Peter just glared some more.
"What am I going to do with you?" Peter finally said.
"I think it's the other way around," Sylar countered.
"So how's Noah doing in Australia?" Peter wisely changed subjects.
"So far so good," Sylar replied. "Still a dormant gene in the descendants. Noah's keeping an eye on things."
"We sent Noah there almost two thousand years ago when you found someone related to Ariel's mother who had gone missing there," Peter said. "They are carrying a mutated dormant variant of the Shanti & it is past down the generations."
"I still think it has to do with the development of the nightstalkers."
"Gabriel," Peter rolled his eyes. Annoyed. "I'm going to ask again, how is Noah actually doing down there?"
Sylar looked at him for a moment. "Honestly, I think he likes Australia. It's desert-like, similar to Israel. Noah comes back often. But we need eyes in Australia until those things start showing up. I never found out when they first appeared."
"When is he coming back to Israel?"
"I think sometime next summer," said Sylar. "Then it will be your turn again." He stood up. "Come on. Let's go deal with Claire & then we will start pushing the people of New York back behind the shoreline I saw in the future."
"How do you plan to do that?"
"Well, we still have about a century, maybe a century & a half," said Sylar. "I never knew exactly when it would happen. One reason why I tried to keep Noah out of New York in the beginning. But with the abilities we picked up over the ages, it's easier to figure out. We should start buying up that land & privatizing it. That way, eventually, no one will be living in the danger zones. Either bought out or die out & we won't have to deal with the dumb ones crying about 'this is my home, I'm not leaving!' Once cleared, we can start putting up the barriers."
"How thoughtful," Peter teased. "I'll start getting the documents ready to make Noah an Israeli again."
"Alright & don't forget papers for his dog."
Noah put a hand on the bluenose pit bull curled up beside him on the couch. "See that guy on screen, Ginger? That's my Dad. Way up in Israel." Ginger whined & rolled over, exposing the tummy. "You're a real sucker, you know that?" He gave her a short rub before standing up. Once the broadcast was finished, he shut down the interface.
"New York State breaking up is almost the half way point," Noah went on as he headed for the kitchen. Ginger followed, hoping for treats. He tossed a cookie at her. "I'm almost two thousand years old," he told her. She licked her chops, looking up for another cookie. "But it's another three thousand to go before my mother can be a part of our lives again." Clearly, she wasn't getting another cookie right now. She sat down. "Saving New York was one of the major events Dad has to deal with. I'm here watching for the start of the next one. I have to keep an eye out for these nightstalkers Dad used to tell me about. All we know is that it started in Australia. Dad wants to stop that plague entirely, or else most of the human race will get wiped out. Kind of funny how he is saving people now. He used to be a serial killer."
Ginger flopped onto her side & blew out air through her lips. "Yeah, my sentiments entirely. Bit of a nasty shock for me when I found out. But that's long in the past," Noah continued as he poured some coffee. "I wonder if Mom saw that broadcast? They would erase her memory of it if she did. It's to help keep the timeline straight, but I still don't like it." Ginger hacked on something or other. Noah pulled another cookie out of the box & the dog was instantly on her paws. "Alright. Last one for now." He dropped it in front of her & put the box away. "There's only a few left in there. I'll grab some more when I go out."
Once Noah was finished his coffee, he & Ginger got into the car & went into downtown Maleny. It had grown up into a large city but still held on to its wildlife preserves such as the Obi Obi River that protected wild platypus. More than once, Noah had to keep Ginger on a tight leash for she would run after any platypus scampering from one waterway to another. The place was overrun with them now but every platypus was given the right of way, even if cars hovered. They had to wait for three of them to cross the entrance to the parking lot, heading for a pond, before going in to the mall. Ginger barked at them through the window.
"You wish," Noah laughed at her as he got out. "Nope! You!" He pushed back hard against the muscular dog. "Stay!" Almost lost it. "In—" Gasp of air. "—side!" He finally slammed the door shut. "I'll be right back." Ginger looked so forlorn. "Not falling for it." Noah turned away & left.
"Crikey, Noah! Haven't seen you in forever!" The store clerk said.
"Hi George. It's hard keeping Ginger from the platypodes," Noah said. "Which by the way, I need some more cookies for the monster."
"Push over, is more like it, mate," George said as he grabbed a box of dog cookies.
"Tell that to the platypodes," said Noah.
"You feed her any meat?"
"Of course," said Noah. "Maybe she needs more."
George pulled a large steak out of the coolers. "Too bad we're not back home. We make some mean croc stew in the outback. You & Ginger would love it."
"Ginger would," said Noah. "I can't."
"Oh crocodile meat is great!" George insisted. "Best meat you'll ever eat."
"It's also unclean meat & I'm the son of a prominent Israeli figure & still retain some of my Jewish roots," Noah pointed out. "It wouldn't look good for the family, eating unclean meat."
"Oh yes! I remember you saying you're the son of Gabriel Gray when I mentioned how you look almost exactly like him," George said. "What is that even like, being the son of a country's Messiah?"
"We try not to use that term," said Noah. "He just helps take care of Israel."
"I noticed something about that," George went on. "He seems to be a bit private. Can't find much on him. But Israel has been whispering of their Messiah for ages. Is it something past down through the family?"
"Something like that," said Noah. Both looked through the window at the car parked outside as Ginger began barking. "I better go. The lady of the house is calling!"
"Good luck!" George laughed as he handed the grocery bag over. "Maybe you'll find a real woman some day?"
"Mm, no," said Noah as he backed himself through the door. He preferred men but he also preferred things slow. The last partner he was with so far had died several years ago. Time for another break before starting again. The one thing he hated most about having immortality. All relationships must come to an end. "I hear you!" Noah shouted at the dog through the window. Ginger moved over to let him in. Noah sat in the driver's seat. "Old nag, you are!" He petted her head before heading out, being careful of a stray platypus crossing over.
He drove out of the city into a nearby park & left the car over a recharge pad while he & Ginger got out for a bit. As the dog ran around, Noah lay on the sand close to the ocean. He thought over the conversation with George. The man had started noticing something. No prior history for Gabriel Gray. He thought of others he had randomly talked to. How people had asked him how old he was or when will he ever get married, as if he had never been.
People were starting to ask questions. It was normal. People liked to know their friends. But Noah would only tell any partner of his about the Regen. If they didn't accept it, Sylar or Peter could delete the memory. But Noah would have to find someone else. If they did accept it, the secret would be taken to their graves. He had been in Australia for almost a hundred years this time. Altogether, he had probably spent more than half his life here, keeping an eye out for his father's nightstalkers. But he would often return to Israel or go to another country now & then for a while, just to let people who knew him die out. While he was gone, Peter took over Australia. Then the whole process would start again.
Ginger came over to sniff at him. Noah sat up in the sand. "We need to head back to Israel this winter," he said. Ginger barked under breath. "It'll be summer up there so we will have a whole year of summer. Israel's my main home. I think we'll stay there until this whole thing with New York is over with. Peter can have a turn standing guard down here." He rubbed her ears. "It kind of sucks it's only the two of us. Dad can't do it since Israel basically owns him. Wish we could add Mom, but she's not to be a part of our lives for a while longer." Ginger sat down as Noah added, "Three thousand more years of this."
Over the next few months, Noah worked on downsizing. He really only planned to take his dog & the bare necessities back to Israel. He didn't tell anyone he was leaving until a few weeks beforehand. Most people were surprised at it. All too soon, or perhaps not soon enough, Noah found himself with Peter once more on the shore of the Mediterranean with a dog by his side.
They still had the same land; although, the house had been redone a few times. The trees were much larger & the beach was slightly more inland to make room for the clear barrier to hold the sea-water back. It was still possible to swim in the sea however, if one went up the steps onto the platforms surrounding the top edge of the barriers. Boat launches had also been worked in. The barriers didn't prevent people from living life on a beach & were only meant to hold back the water.
Once they got to the back porch, Peter handed over a pad with online papers for Noah to sign, officially making him Israeli again & also clearance for the dog. Noah went inside & headed upstairs for the bedroom to drop his bag on the bed before going down into the kitchen. It was similar inside to the house he had grown up in here on this land. The major difference now was that it was all in his name. Sylar had left it for him a long time ago & stayed mostly in Jerusalem now.
Peter had the coffee ready. "You remind me of the prodigal son for some reason," he said as he handed a cup to Noah.
"Kind of feels that way," said Noah. "I've been gone for basically a century. I mean, we keep in touch over the global interface but it's been a long while since I've been back."
"I'll be heading into Australia in a couple of weeks," said Peter after drinking some of his own coffee.
"I hope these nightstalkers show up soon," Noah said. "Having to hop around countries all the time gets a bit old after a millennia or two."
"I know," Peter sighed. "At least we all know when it will end."
"Not to mention how," Noah teased. "You two trying to kill each other again."
Peter just laughed. "Nah, we're way past that. Your Dad & I are good friends by now."
"How good?" Noah taunted. "Like Sherlock & John good?"
"Shut up!" Peter groaned. "You're never going to let that go, are you?"
"He did say you two couldn't keep your hands off each other," Noah keeled over, laughing.
Peter glared before saying, "Fine. If we're going to use such analogies, I'd say more like Sherlock & Mycroft. They have a love-hate relationship. Just like Sy & I."
"Aww you even have a pet name for him!"
"SHUT UP!"
"You walked into it!" Noah gasped for air.
"Ohh how I've missed you, Noah," Peter grumbled. "So how long are you staying, this time?" He demanded.
"Until New York State collapses," Noah replied, wiping his eyes. "It's within the next two hundred years, so I'll just wait for that."
"Ok, sounds good," Peter agreed.
"I was wondering though," Noah went on. "A huge collapse like that. Do you think it could reach the Titanic Park & bury it?"
"That's more towards the Canadian waters," Peter began. "But I do plan to put a double barrier down there between it & the coastline, just in case."
"Ok, so what about when the planet explodes?" Noah pointed out.
"We're hoping that won't happen at all."
"But it has to start," said Noah. "To send Dad with me as a baby back to the past. So something somewhere is going to have to give."
"Well, that's another three thousand years ahead of us," said Peter. "I'll figure something out by then."
"I wonder if people will still talk about it then," Noah mused.
"There are still descendants of survivors to this day," said Peter. "They've preserved their history this long. I'm sure it will sort itself out." He petted Ginger's head. "Well, I gotta go meet up with your Dad. Oh & by the way, Sherlock is with Irene, not John!" At that, he beamed out before Noah could retaliate.
Noah looked at Ginger. "I'll deal with him, later." Ginger sneezed. "Don't look at me like that. I will!"
Peter appeared in the temple, off to the side, waiting for the Kabbalah meeting to finish. As the group dispersed, he went up to Sylar. "Can I strangle your son, please?"
"Knock yourself out. He'll live," Sylar said. "What happened?"
"Sherlock happened," Peter explained. "So who is it? Irene or John?"
"Both," Sylar replied without missing a beat.
Peter helplessly blinked at him before glancing sideways at his reflection in the window. "Children. I work with children!"
"What?" Sylar laughed at him. "You expect me to get dragged into it between you & Noah? You think I'm crazy? Do NOT answer that last one!" He held up a finger in warning.
"None of this would have happened if you had used some better words when you gave Noah a tour of New York, back then," Peter complained.
"I know," Sylar sighed. "My fault. Oh well. Live with it." He held up his hands in defeat for a moment.
Peter shoved the signed documents into Sylar's raised hands. "Noah's officially Israeli, again."
"Thanks," Sylar took the electronic pad to the desk & put it into the drawer. "I'll drop them off tomorrow." He looked Peter over, before adding. "You know, I'm rather jealous of you two."
"Why?"
"You both get to live in other places for as long as you want," said Sylar. "I know I can beam around & visit for a few days, but my home must be here."
"Three thousand more years & then you're free," said Peter.
"I think I will always be here," said Sylar. "I turned my back on America two thousand years ago. I have no wish to return, permanently. But I would like to be in Australia myself to watch for the nightstalkers. But I'm needed here."
"Do you think you'll ever shed the title of Messiah?"
"The Jews are a lot like your Titanic friends," said Sylar. "Jealously guarding their history. They've been doing it for thousands of years more than just the two we're a part of, so far."
Peter looked at the glass cabinet where Sylar's first prayer shawl now hung. It had been under glass for almost eighteen hundred years now, but Sylar kept it close due to personal reasons. Peter had never met Ariel, but he often wished he had. Sylar still wore a black shawl but it was never the same as that first one in many ways. Not as luxurious. Not as personal. But the black tallit gadol was still a way to recognize him, so he kept with the style as much as possible.
"Well, I better go see Noah," Sylar's voice brought Peter back to the present. "Good luck in Australia."
"See you in New York," Peter nodded before both disappeared to their destinations.
Peter went into New York first. He started scouting out the shoreline, looking for any areas that could be bought out & privatized. He & Sylar shared every power with each other now, so both now owned Bob Bishop's golden touch, among many others. He eventually went into Australia & worked from there while keeping an eye out for the impending plague.
It was nearly a full century before Peter & Sylar finally owned the entire coastline of New York. They now focused on reinforcing the inland cities, raising them up a little, making the buildings more streamlined to allow winds & waves to pass easily. Barriers were eventually set to hold the waters back as much as possible.
In another sixty-seven years, Manhattan flipped over into the ocean due to a large earthquake. The resulting tsunamis took out half the state. Peter had put up a secondary barrier line around the Titanic International Oceanic Park about ten years prior & was glad he had thought of it, for the force of the collapsed shelf swept outward to slam against the outer boundary, rising up almost to the top of it before curling back onto itself in a pile of mud & icy water miles below the surface.
The three of them stood on the new shoreline, watching the ocean settle in an angry mass of bright green from being disturbed so suddenly & violently.
"Well, here's to the new New York," Peter finally spoke.
"Next up are the nightstalkers," Sylar said. "They have to show up soon."
"I've been working on a vaccine for that Shanti variant that keeps cropping up," said Peter. "I'm going to start trying it soon."
"Good," Sylar nodded. "We have to keep that contained or it will wipe out the human race."
"What about Claire?" Peter asked.
"What about her?" Sylar shrugged. "She has Regen."
"Yes, but she was also alone for a while," Peter reminded him. "If we want to keep the timeline straight ..."
"Take more of her memory & move her to a remote area," Sylar said. "We could feed her information of nightstalkers so it will seem real to her, perhaps."
"She's really going to hate you when we let her heal," Peter said.
"I know," Sylar agreed. "But if we want Noah to survive this as well, we have to keep things the way they were as much as possible." He put a hand onto Noah's left shoulder & another onto Peter's right as he stood between them. They materialized in the Gray home back in Israel.
Noah went out to the side of the house & picked some almonds off the ancient tree as Peter & Sylar moved to the porch swing on the front deck & sat down for a moment. "Did that sound as wrong to you as it did to me?" Peter suddenly asked. "Making Claire think she is alone in a wilderness?"
"You felt it too?" Sylar sat back. "It's the only way I can see to make her end up like how I find her, but ..."
"But the Aptitude is saying that is not the way," Peter finished.
"We're missing something," Sylar sighed.
"Hell of a time to be missing something," said Peter.
"Noah's heading back for another turn in Australia," Sylar said. "So you & I can be together to sort it out. I have a feeling we don't have much time left, though."
"I have that feeling, too," Peter said. "Well, first things first. Time to deal with the press about New York's sunken shoreline."
"Oh joy," Sylar groaned, getting up. Noah reappeared & handed some fresh nuts to both of them before the three of them appeared in America in front of the waiting newscasters.
Noah soon returned to Australia for a bit. Peter often now came to visit him as he did his rounds throughout the world, giving the vaccine to anyone against the Shanti variant. It was working. The strain didn't appear as often as before.
So it came as rather a shock when Noah was confronted with someone in the streets of Sydney one evening. The man was on his knees, breathing hard & keeping his eyes from the light. He looked human, so Noah moved in closer to help.
Tiny sharp spikes sunk in to his outstretched hand. Noah's Israeli militant training that he had kept up all these years kicked in & he sprang forward, shoving the attacker down. Noah sat on his back, feeling for any ridges that might be the start of wings, but felt only smoothness. He brought up the interface & sent the letters N & S over to Sylar & Peter. NS. Nightstalkers. Both were at his side in an instant.
"Is this one?" Noah gasped as he struggled to keep the man under him. "He's stronger than usual & he bit me!"
Using his old force power, Sylar forced the lips apart to see points for teeth. "Looks like the start of it." He nodded to Peter, who got down beside Noah & jabbed the man with his vaccine.
"I don't know if it will work on him," said Peter. "He's already changed a little."
"We'll keep him under observation," Sylar grabbed hold of the infected person by the force as Noah got off at last. "All I can say is, about time. Now, let's put a stop to this epidemic before it starts." He put a hand on the victim's shoulder to beam out but the man convulsed before slumping against the wall.
"Did he just die?!" Peter exclaimed.
"He did!" Sylar was equally surprised. "I expected him to change more or be cured. Not die!"
"Now what?" Noah asked.
"I would like to do an autopsy on him," said Peter. "I'll need to find his family & make some arrangements." He put a hand on Noah's arm. "Don't worry. This is why you & I take turns here. We'll stop this thing before it gets out of hand, but unfortunately, some will die. That's just how a pandemic goes. The important thing is to save as many as possible."
"How are you doing, Noah?" Sylar asked. "You said he bit you."
"My Regen cleared it up," Noah shrugged. "You & Mom don't get it in the future. I doubt I will, either."
"I do want to take a quick look at you, just to make sure," said Peter. "Can't be too careful."
"I'll take you back to Israel for a couple days & have you isolated while Peter deals with the body," Sylar said before bringing Noah to the Gray home in Israel. "You'll have to stay here by yourself until Peter takes a look at you. I'm sure you'll be fine but that was definitely a nightstalker. Maybe not as transformed as what I saw in the future, but it's here. Now to figure out what it is & stop it."
"I'll be ok, Dad," said Noah.
Sylar looked his son over. "I know you will." He put a hand on Noah's arm for a moment before beaming away. Noah went to the couch & lay across it to wait.
It was two days before Peter showed up. He checked Noah anyway even though the Regen had instantly cleared everything & took a vial of Noah's blood. "I think I killed that guy when I gave him the vaccine. It was too late for him."
"You think the vax did it?"
"He was already infected & partly transformed," said Peter. "I don't have much proof but it's the only thing I can think of for now. It works fine on those who have a dormant Shanti gene at least. I ran into three more people complaining of sudden sensitivity to light. Gave them the vax & a bit of my own blood which cleared things up."
"What do we do now?" asked Noah.
Sylar returned to the living room. "I think all three of us should go to Australia & start looking for anyone with light sensitivity."
"You want to go down there?"
"With the three of us going through Australia, we should be able to put an end to this plague before it gets out of control."
"How long do you think that will take?" asked Noah.
"Hopefully a month or two since we know what to look for," answered Sylar. "Israel can handle a few weeks without me. I already asked Australia to report anyone who has unusual issues with the light all of a sudden. Once they have a report built up, we'll go down."
"How long will that take?" asked Peter.
"Hopefully just a few days," said Sylar. "Which works for me since I'm expected at the Passover festival in Jerusalem. Soon as that is set up & they go start their religious stuff, I can go to Australia for a bit. You two might as well come along. Been a while since they've seen Noah."
Noah headed upstairs to his bedroom to find his traditional Jewish set to wear. He still maintained some of his conversion but only showed it when he lived in Israel. After more than two thousand years, he knew how to behave appropriately for such occasions even though he had spent a lot of time away. They all did. Peter was never a Jewish covert; though by now, he had gained a lot more understanding of the antediluvian culture, so he kept things simple, dressed as a common Israeli from the desert. Sylar of course, had to use his latest black shawl for any ceremony he had to show up to.
They arrived at the Temple which Sylar & Peter had helped rebuild in ages past & joined a group of several renowned Rabbis, a few of which ran their own Kabbalah groups like Sylar. When it came time to sit down at the tables, everyone avoided that one chair set at every table that was still left out.
Sylar, Peter & Noah sat together with some Kabbalah members from Sylar's group. No one once questioned why Peter was there despite not being Jewish. He had always been accepted by Israel. In the upper ranks, he was a well known presence at Sylar's side as was Noah. It was the only place in the world where people knew what was mostly going on with the three of them.
Towards the end of the Passover meal, Sylar noticed something different about the table he was at. Elijah's chair was occupied. Sylar let the Aptitude run over the old man. He slowly got up & walked around to the side. Without looking at him, the old man also got up & moved away from the table. Sylar glanced at the others, but no one seemed to notice them. Looking back, he found himself face to face with the intruder who was holding out a hand to shake. Sylar took it, letting the old Empathy power flow through. The man was older than anyone could imagine. He had Regen similar to Claire's power. He also had an almost divine sense, though not quite. Sylar let go & spoke in Hebrew. "What is your name?"
The old man nodded slightly. In the same old language, he replied, "You already know, Mr. Sylar. I am Elijah."
No lie was detected. Sylar wavered on his feet before crashing. He blinked a few times as others crowded around him. Hands grabbed at him & helped him stand. "Are you alright?" Peter asked, standing exactly where Elijah had been two seconds before.
"He's ... oh he's ..." Sylar stammered, still out of it. He relayed the content to Peter through telepathy which seemed to be more coherent at the moment.
Peter stared at him before looking around. "I don't see anyone."
"He was ... there!" Sylar finally managed to say. Looking up, he noticed that the entire congregation of the Temple was standing up & watching wide-eyed at him.
"Rabbi!" another man came up to him, using Hebrew. "Have you lost your Regen power?"
"Mm," Sylar bent over, hands on knees. Shock. It was just shock. It had to be. "No." He sat down on the top of the steps & focused on the crowd. Scanning them over, searching for one like how he used to do as a killer. It had been ages since he used glasses & even longer since people discerned the difference between Gabriel or Sylar. But the old man was gone. "Oh!" Sylar put his hands to his face for a moment & rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had to say something. "My chair was filled!"
As the crowd turned on itself, conversing in low tones about what had just been proclaimed, the man who had questioned his powers, crouched beside him. "Are you implying what I think you're implying?"
"Yes!" Sylar looked at him. Suddenly, he recognized him. "You!" He stood up at last. "What are you doing?"
"I have come to speak with you."
/Peter, he is right here beside me!/ Sylar alerted Peter by telepathy. He looked over the crowd. "I found what I was looking for. Baruch hashem!" He headed for the side door with Peter & Noah following. The old man smiled softly, letting them go.
"Gabriel! What the hell are you doing?" Peter demanded once they were outside.
"You really think you saw Elijah?" Noah added.
"He didn't lie when he said his name!"
"There are literally millions of Elijahs on Earth though," Peter pointed out.
"He doesn't feel like any of them!" Sylar insisted. After blank stares, he finished, "I shook hands with him & used the Empathy. He called me Sylar! No stranger knows that name. It's been taken from even the Kabbalah by now. Only the highest members keep that record in the archives. You & Noah are the only other two who know that name!"
"Gabriel!" Peter gasped. "He can't be!"
"Why not? The guy never died! Is that so hard to imagine?"
"Well ... no," Peter admitted. "But—"
"Oh God! Here he comes!" Sylar hissed under breath.
"Gabriel, if it's really him, then that means ..."
"I KNOW what it means!" Sylar snapped. "I never claimed the title Messiah! I'm just a Rabbi!" He took a long steady breath as the old man approached them.
"I apologize for the fright," Elijah spoke in English, surprising them. "I know every language under the sun." The three of them just gaped at him. "I'm here to help you save your wife but also to warn you of what is to happen next."
"You called me Sylar, back there."
"It was to let you know I am no ordinary man," Elijah said. "Less than ten people on Earth know that name. But we will continue the use of your proper name now, yes?" As Sylar curtly nodded, still dazed, Elijah ripped up the flat bread he held in his hands & gave pieces to Sylar, Peter & Noah, keeping one for himself. "First, let's talk of your nightstalkers." Elijah led them down into the main street & headed into the city. "You are already too late."
"What?" Sylar gasped. "But we caught them in Australia!"
"Just Australia," said Elijah. "The mutating gene is global."
"How is that possible?" Peter exclaimed.
Elijah paused close to the Eye Of The Needle, an ancient tiny gateway in the walls of Jerusalem. "You will not like the answer," he began before ducking through the cutout. "He's right. It is impossible for camels to get through this." He smiled quickly, amused for a moment. He waited for the other three to pass through the Eye before continuing. "Peter, the Shanti vaccine works well against the variant you found, except when it comes in contact with someone who has a fake ability."
"A FAKE ability?"
"One they acquired through unnatural means," Elijah explained. "One they experimented with & forced into their bodies through injections, instead of being born naturally like you are."
"Wait a minute," Peter began. "Sy & I were born with only one power but can pick up others with it. Mine was broken & I had to be artificially fixed."
"Your shared ability is meant to pick up random powers," Elijah said, casting a glare at Sylar. "Although, probably not how Gabriel started out. It was never meant to kill. When you got fixed, you were merely rebooting your original power that your body was designed to take in the first place. But others who had no powers, had no business getting them, forced abilities into themselves unnaturally. In military trials. Or illegally. People the world over did that & they are starting to pay a terrible price. The dormant Shanti variant you found is not so dormant. It reacts badly to fake abilities & can not be prevented by vaccines. It will instead, mutate again with the artificial ability & become something else entirely."
"In the future, I came across plenty of nightstalkers without powers," Sylar pointed out.
"Key phrase, in the future," said Elijah. "They bred & spread. Just like all humanity, some got born with powers, some did not."
"If what you're saying is true," Peter started. "Then that means I am responsible for creating the nightstalkers!" Sylar, however, thought of someone else, but remained silent as Elijah spoke again.
"Not really," Elijah shrugged. "If it was not your vaccine, then something else would have eventually attacked the alien DNA they forced into themselves. If they had not forced abilities into their bodies, they would have been fine. It is not your fault. Peter," he put a hand on the old medic's shoulder. "Nature would have found a way. There is no stopping it."
"So that's why," Sylar said, looking at Peter. "Our powers told us something was off when we made plans for Claire. We don't have to. She's going to end up that way after all."
"I'll try to slow the spread of it," Peter said. "From now on, I will investigate any one with a power before they get the vaccine."
"That's exactly what you can do," Elijah agreed. "To save the human race, they must first not be allowed to obtain abilities artificially. The Shanti variant vaccine will clear up the rest & put an end to that, but the mutant gene made by the Shanti vaccine & artificially infused abilities is another problem."
"What about the nightstalkers that are developing?" Noah asked. "My Mom is going to be alone with them in three thousand years."
"She has our immortal power, Noah. She'll be fine," Elijah said. "Besides, your father will find her, on both sides of the time loop's end."
"So that's it then," Peter fell back against the wall. "We're done for!"
"No," Elijah disagreed. "Thanks to your efforts, a lot more will be saved. Perhaps some day, you will find a way to put an end to the nightstalkers. They are still human, don't forget. Humanity does not die out. It is just a lot of it will go through changes due to their own fault. But they are human, nonetheless. You are an excellent healer, Peter. You always find a way."
"Maybe you can communicate with them," Noah suggested.
"Yeah right," Sylar scoffed. "He'll get his head bit off!"
"I'll grow another one," Peter grumbled, making Sylar & Noah turn away in laughter. "I moved my spot as well a long time ago."
"In time," Elijah said once everyone shut up. "You'll figure it out. You both have the right powers for it. But you are missing a power to save Claire & the planet, both."
"What it is & where do we go to get it?"
"Not where, Gabriel," Elijah looked at him. "When."
Peter stood on the beach at the Gray home. He looked over the sparkling Mediterranean. It had been a few hours since their strange encounter with Elijah. Sylar had disappeared back in time to ages past for the missing ability. The shadows of the evening were long-cast over the ground when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned to take Sylar's hand to copy the new power. Both stood in silence for several minutes, finally figuring out the final plan of their five thousand year time loop.
Sylar lay back on the sand. Peter dropped beside him. They watched a few mores stars come out as the sun slowly disappeared. "To think I killed a woman back then who had the key ability to all this, but could not get her power then since I had the Shanti virus."
"Then thousands of years later, you finally get her power," Peter said.
"I froze time at the moment my past self had struck Candice down, just before she died & took that power at last."
Peter sighed heavily before saying, "That is one hell of an illusion we make to cause the ancient ones to see it & start the Kabbalah. To cause my past self to see it & paint it on the walls of New York City."
"Yup," Sylar said. After a moment, he teased, "So I guess your ship will be safe." Peter rolled his eyes & punched Sylar's shoulder. Sylar sat up. "So, all that's left to do is figure out why America will have so many little quakes & how to deal with the nightstalkers & then work on that as soon as we get Claire back & get out of the time loop."
"We have mostly made the knowledge of abilities disappear with all our erasing & concealing," Peter said. "We'll have to go after any one who tries to make artificial ones. I think there's one in France who's considered something of a mad genius. I'll erase his memory of whatever he is doing & destroy his work."
"We'll have to be careful who we give the Shanti variant vaccine to, as well," Sylar added. "Anyone with a fake ability should not get it."
"Which means I have to work on a way to remove that ability from them," Peter said.
"Then after getting Claire back, we fix the nightstalkers," Sylar finished.
Peter sat up as well, shaking his head. "That is a lot of medical jumps to do! We have a little less than three thousand years."
"It's Israel, Peter," Sylar said. "We are the most powerful nation on the planet now. Our borders have expanded across the Galilee & also down the entire Sinai Peninsula, which Israel says fulfills the prophecy of wherever the soles of their feet went would one day belong to them. We have the resources & we're immortal. We have the time." Sylar paused before adding, "I'm glad you eventually erased yourself from history & was able to join me here. The medical field was never my area of expertise."
"That's the main reason why I came," Peter rubbed his temples as he let out a long breath. "Well, I better get started." He & Sylar both stood up & looked over the dark sea before turning to the house.
Three thousand years.
It sounded like a lot but for the sake of progress, the time was short. Peter became a renowned doctor in Israel, often having to use his shape-shifting ability through the years to hide from all but those privy to certain information. Sylar was done for the time being; his next major act wouldn't be until the time came to find Claire. While he was still a guarded figurehead of Israel, he fell back a bit, letting Peter take over while Sylar focused more on maintaining the barriers they had set around the world (not to mention under one of the oceans) & advancing the global interface. Noah no longer had to move back & forth & settled once more in Israel for a long time & often assisted his father.
In time, Noah found yet another partner & then another break again before starting over. Both Sylar & Peter also had various partners throughout history, more so than Noah who still took things slow. Having more children though, was another story. Peter had run out of Nathan's donations a very long time ago & Noah so far still only preferred other men. Both often turned to adoption instead. Sylar was once more cautious when he was with any woman & like Peter & Noah, he would also often resort to adoption, but on the odd time he did produce another child, the inevitable would happen within a century.
With the spread of the nightstalkers, large cities became less common. People stayed scattered out in the countryside & Claire was unwittingly slowly moving towards the area she would get lost in for a while. To make sure she did lose all contact, the global interface that had gone through many changes throughout the ages was suddenly updated again but without including her implant.
As the time slowly, painstakingly rushed near to reunite with Claire again, Sylar soon stopped with marriages altogether. He wanted to save himself for her once more. Both he & Peter had kept an eye on her memories but those encounters were few & often done by Peter.
A very different Sylar at last appeared in America. He would soon be taking Claire to New York, neither knowing they were being closely watched. Noah was suddenly a lot more interested as the date drew near. They would finally know exactly when he would be born.
Sylar & Peter went ahead to set up the old hospital for the clueless pair. Though books were few now, some people still collected them. Sylar borrowed some to set up his past self. One was from an encyclopedia series that had old pictures of New York City, including the Twin Towers & some information of the nightstalkers. An old medical book was also placed in the same room, using the force power so Sylar's Clairsentience wouldn't pick up the fact that he & Peter were already there. They looked at each other & grinned before cloaking themselves with the invisible ability to watch the proceedings.
As the younger Sylar with Claire finally left, the two idiots reappeared, stifling laughter. "Man, I really hated you back then, didn't I?" Sylar managed to say.
"Feeling was so mutual!" Peter covered his mouth to keep from laughing out loud so they wouldn't be heard. "We should get going before he figures it out."
"Took me five thousand years to figure it out, Peter."
They kept an eye on the pair from a distance, even appearing as crows cackling to each other or as other animals (but not rabbits) as well as often remaining invisible. Sylar soon realized that he was the pilot whale Claire would be petting since the herd had in fact stayed away from her. He slipped into the ocean & shifted forms before swimming up to her. It was strange being touched by her again after such a long wait. Peter soon joined him under the water as another pilot whale, letting the pair on shore head for home, unknowing of what was going on.
"You alright?" Peter asked once they finally returned to shore.
Sylar glanced into the night sky for a moment. "Well, she's pregnant now. So he's definitely in May. But two years off. It will be 7282 when he is born."
"I wonder if it will be around the nineteenth," Peter linked arms with his old friend while they walked through the shallows.
"Possibly," Sylar replied. "I did use the Aptitude to help me pick a date, so it should be close." He glanced up as he heard a distant screech. "Hide!" Both went invisible & pressed themselves against a large boulder as the nightstalker swooped by. Once it was gone, Sylar said, "Glad those are almost over."
"Theoretically," Peter half-shrugged, keeping their arms linked so as not to lose track of each other since both were still cloaked.
The pair was left alone for a bit while Sylar & Peter showed face in Israel. They beamed back occasionally to check on Claire & watch for the date. Sylar had no intention of missing his son's birth a second time. He stood invisible while his young self had gone off hunting nightstalkers. Claire had been swimming in the ocean but suddenly returned to the shore & after a few short, hard breaths Noah was born.
/She's right,/ Sylar mind-linked to Peter, /It was no effort at all./
/Well, congratulations. Again,/ Peter's smile could be felt through the telepathy. /Let's get back to Israel. Three more months to go./
As soon as they beamed back home, Sylar suddenly panicked. "Wait a minute!" He glanced around, adjusting his sight to the drastic change of daylight from which he had just come from to the darkness now. "What's the date?" He opened the car door, turned it on & punched in to the interface. "Twentieth! He's born on the twentieth!"
"Actually, this is Israel," Peter reminded him. "Your Aptitude got pretty strong back then."
"Israel? Israel!" Sylar was still trying to catch up.
"Dude!" Peter burst out laughing. "It's night time here, just after midnight. We're seven hours ahead. Noah was born on the nineteenth back there."
"Oh!" Sylar finally clued in. "Right. The time zones!"
"Yes!" Peter wiped away tears. "Are you ok?"
Sylar pulled his head out of the car. "I know I've watched many children be born, including my own, but he is my first & only one that is immortal so far. Feels like a first time father all over again."
"Let's get some rest, old man," Peter was still laughing. "Our biggest trick is coming up."
"Old man," Sylar scowled as he obediently headed for the house. "Come on, we're way past curfew here," he said, holding the door open to let Peter in.
Nightstalkers were rare in Israel, but occasionally one would would stray in. The Kabbalah had strict regulations about their magic & guarded it even more than before. Few Israeli citizens had artificial abilities as it was forbidden in nearly every country. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done just yet about preventing the breeding of nightstalkers who currently behaved more like large bats than humans, so the subspecies multiplied in their own way.
Three months later, they headed back to what was left of New York State & went invisible. Stopping time, Sylar grabbed Claire to remove her from the shore. He left her frozen in time back in Israel. Both he & Peter waited for another small tremor to use to their advantage before casting the illusion together. Peter was closer to the younger Sylar who was holding Noah, so he used some force to pull the air away, causing the baby Noah to gasp & send his father back to the past. Peter & Sylar dropped their illusions & appeared on shoreline, perfectly fine.
"Now for those final barriers to be put into place to settle the quakes," Sylar said. "You start on that while I follow him back in time & block his powers from coming here."
"See you soon," Peter nodded.
"Don't forget to check on your dumb ship!" Sylar teased before beaming away.
Peter rolled his eyes, putting his hands on his hips, giving the good old 'Pissed Petrelli' glare. "Oh my God! Just a few more minutes & I can kill him! Right? Right! Perfect. Ok!"
Sylar headed back in time to block his young self from returning. He also had a bit of fun with himself by sending the younger one to Claire's old home with her in it. He watched as Claire got up to answer the barking & look right at him but he was invisible so she could not see him. Mr. Muggles however, was not fooled & ran right up to him to bark some more. Sylar beamed away back to the side of his younger self until he had stopped trying to get back to the future.
At long last, Sylar returned to Israel to the same moment he had left Peter in America, but now he was with Claire still frozen in his living room. He reached down & touched her arm, bringing her back into time aligned with him.
Claire glanced around the house as she stood up. "Where are we? I was swimming & you were on the shore with Noah. What hap—what are you wearing?" Her eyes landed on the black prayer shawl. Sylar didn't answer. Claire reached out to it. "I think ... if I remember correctly ... Gabriel, you look Jewish. I think."
"It's Jewish," Sylar stepped back from her. The moment of truth was almost at hand. Would she accept him still?
Claire scoffed nervously. "What's going on? Where's Noah?"
"He's fine," Sylar stood a little straighter, surveying her. "Claire? We ... hmm. We need to talk."
Claire looked at him. He seemed somehow very different. He looked like the man who had been with her for barely three years, but something was off. "What's happening?" She backed away from him.
"I did something you might not like," Sylar began. "Also, um, Peter. He helped me."
"Peter? That guy you hate?"
"Yeah," Sylar gasped in a breath. "Claire? This moment. We've planned it for five thousand years but now that it's here, I'm actually quite terrified of it."
"This moment?" Claire glared at him. "Where is Noah? What happened?"
Sylar moved to the couch. "Lie down & I will tell you."
Claire slowly moved towards him & sat down. She looked around again. She saw a stand that held seven lamps. A Star of David was etched into the wall. She looked again at what Sylar was wearing. "Gabriel ..."
"It's ok," Sylar put a hand on her shoulder & gently pushed her down. "Lie down & close your eyes. Focus on healing. Especially your mind."
"What?"
"Just try it, please!" Sylar nearly whispered. "It's ok." He almost added the words 'I hope' to it but refrained from doing so. Claire took one last look at him before closing her eyes. "Let the Regen move through you," Sylar spoke in a low, almost hypnotic voice. "Let it fill you. Let it caress your mind & bring you understanding."
"Gabriel, I have no idea what you're saying," Claire murmured as she nodded off. He had spoken in Hebrew but the hypnotic effect worked just the same.
As she lay passed out, Sylar took an electronic pad from the desk nearby & began tapping on it. There was a soft beeping sound & Claire was once again connected. He put the pad aside & sat down in the arm chair nearby to wait.
Almost half an hour went by. Claire moaned & slowly sat up. She looked around again. "This ... place. Looks familiar.''
"You've been here before," Sylar said, using English again. "Five thousand years ago." Claire gaped at him. Sylar went on. "I've kept the inside of this place as close to the original as possible. You see it now, don't you?"
Her memories came back in a rush. Claire stood up. "You!"
"Be nice!" Sylar put up both hands for a moment.
"How?" Her breasts heaved with angry breath. "How could you do this to me?"
"Wasn't me," Sylar defended. "It was Peter. Remember? He threw me five thousand years ahead in time."
"YOU ERASED MY MEMORIES!"
"You healed," Sylar pointed out.
"You are a smug, selfish, obnoxious, irritating, arrogant—" Claire raged.
"You forgot handsome & to die for," Sylar teased.
"Shut up!" Claire screeched.
"Claire," Sylar stood up & came towards her. "I know this is a bit of a shock. All your memories came back in a rush. It will take time to sort it all but you will have everything. Due to our Regen, we don't actually forget anything. Noah has our power as well, but even at a faster pace than we do."
Claire growled through gritted teeth as she turned away. "Where is Noah?"
"He's out with his current husband, right now."
"Current husband?" Claire whirled back to face Sylar.
"He's five thousand years old," Sylar tried. "He's not a baby any more."
"Excuse me?"
"I was holding on to him when I went back to the past, remember?" Sylar tried. "He grew up here in Israel."
"Israel? OH!" Finally. Everything clicked into place. "Israel's freaking Messi—oh my God!" Claire put her hands into her hair. "Noah! He came seeking me out in New York. That's when we found out you had come back. You! You you YOU! OH MY GOD!" Angry fists by her sides, she turned away once more, shaking.
Sylar leaned in to say in her ear. "I told you that you'd fuck me in five thousand years. Sweetheart? It's been five thousand years & Noah is fine. So clearly, you still did that."
Claire turned sharply to slap him but he was ready & caught her mid-strike. They glared at each other for a long moment. "I'm going to kill you!" Claire finally ground out.
"Kill me? Oh come on, that's so five thousand years ago," Sylar just laughed.
Claire continued to glower at him. "Does Israel still call you Messiah even now?" Sylar just nodded. "Oh God!" Claire rubbed her face with both hands. She took a long breath & said in an even voice. "I begged you not to take my memories!"
Sylar put a hand on her side & pulled her close. "I am sorry. We had to do it, for Noah's sake. It worked! Claire, it worked. Noah's fine." He looked into her eyes. "The time loop has ended!" After a moment, he went on. "Do you remember now, that last moment together before I cleared your memory the first time?" She continued to glare at him as he moved closer. "Claire," Sylar whispered upon her hair as he slowly pulled her close to him again. "It's over. All over now. Nothing can separate the four of us again." He lifted her face up to his & at long last, kissed her once more after all these eons of waiting. As they slightly pulled apart, Claire reached up & put her hand over his, still resting against her cheek. "Claire," Sylar pushed away some loose hair with his free hand. "I have waited for this day for so long & so has Noah. He grew up with out you & like Peter & I, he has simply been existing these five millennia; waiting to meet you."
Claire moved away. "Noah is ... " She looked down at her chest. "He's not a baby anymore." She put her hands to her breasts, feeling milk no longer needed.
"I'm sorry you missed out on that," Sylar replied. "I filmed a lot of his life as a child. I still have copies of it all in the global interface."
"That crashed a long time ago."
"Mm nope," Sylar winced, bracing himself for her impending ire. "It updated many, many times. Your implant eventually got lost."
"What?" Claire gasped.
"While you were passed out, I reinstated you," Sylar said. "It's all there. You can access anything you want online. The code for our personal files right now is 'memorychild' as all one word & you can find those videos of Noah there. Along with a lot of other stuff I have been saving for you."
"It's five thousand years!" Claire exclaimed in a shocked whisper.
"The interface is similar to the Vatican," Sylar said. "It holds ancient history in cyberspace. Peter & I tried to hold on to a lot of things for you. At the same time, our advances in technology ended up saving a lot of things for the whole world. Jerusalem has a lot of catacombs underneath it now, all highly advanced technology to preserve many relics & artifacts, including my first prayer shawl Ariel had made for me & the old Sylar watch & glasses. All stored under glass now. Barriers hold back the changing water all over the world & have saved many buildings. Some of them here in Israel are a lot older than five thousand years, but still safe. Barriers protect a lot of things. Don't even get me started on the Titanic."
"Titanic?" Claire managed a weak laugh.
"Yeah, ok," Sylar clicked his tongue. "That's one's on Peter. But in his defence, it was sheer dumb luck. We used the old site to practice those barriers you see around cities in New York State or holding off the oceans. We started down there. It ended up working & now the wreck is still there purely by accident. We also still know of existing survivor descendants to this day. Like the Jews, they hang on to their history quite well."
"Wow!" Claire sat down on the couch. She looked around at the old place once more. "What about the nightstalkers?"
"We don't really have them here in Israel & it's because we don't have too many people with artificial abilities," Sylar explained.
By the time he was through, Claire wondered if she could handle any more shock today. "So that's why they're human. All this because people wanted to create abilities?"
Sylar took a long time in answering. "My poor love. I'm sorry to have to hurt you again, but all this is because people learned about abilities since a certain woman wanted to show off. That started a downhill struggle for people acquiring powers by means other than being born naturally. Peter & I did our best to discourage & eventually erase knowledge of abilities from everyone, but the damage was done. Then a Shanti variant cropped up & a vaccine against it did not take well to artificial abilities that some people were still getting under ground."
Claire closed her eyes. "You blame me for this?"
"Those are the facts, Claire," Sylar sat down in the armchair near her. "I am sorry."
"A long time ago, Peter once told me that us being immortal seemed to cause issues," Claire began. "He said immortality is unnatural & pointed out that any major problems in the world always seemed to revolve around him, you & me."
"Yeah well, he's not wrong."
Claire ran both hands through her hair. "What do we do now?"
"Peter & a team are putting barriers under American soil, right now," Sylar said. "Those little quakes you kept feeling were caused by a weakened coastline on both sides, but especially New York. The ground was losing support. The barriers will fix that. Then we deal with the nightstalkers."
"How?"
"The reason they still exist today is because they continue to breed," Sylar began. "We can't cure them as they are basically a separate subspecies from us by now, more than just a random disease. Peter has groups of planes in every country ready to fly out at night. Each country in turn & people will be ordered to stay inside for forty-eight hours. The planes will release a gas that will fall onto the nightstalkers & sterilize them. They can live out their days, but they will die out. Peter also has an antidote to it in case any non-nightstalkers accidentally get sterilized. It will not affect plants or animals though. He worked on it for nearly three thousand years & made sure it was only for humans & reversible. Hopefully, just nightstalkers will pick it up & then simply die out."
"So it will be a few more years before we're rid of them," said Claire.
"Yes, but we will be rid of them," He stood up & held out a hand. Claire slowly took it. "While Peter is fixing America, why don't we go see Noah?" He beamed them into Tel Aviv & led her up the steps to a house.
Noah opened the door. "Mom?"
"Uh, hi," Claire held out a hand. Noah grabbed her into a hug instead. "Oh! Ok! Uh. Earlier today, you were just a baby for me. But now I have my memory back."
"I've waited a long time for that to happen," said Noah, still holding on to her.
"Yeah, I know," Claire said. "This is very weird."
"A bit," Noah agreed.
"I'm going to kill your Dad. Later." Both started laughing & crying at the same time.
"I think everybody wants to kill him at some point," Noah said. Sylar just glared at him. "Come inside. You can meet Sian, my husband. Right now, anyway. He knows." He led both his parents into the house.
In the weeks that followed, Claire slowly adjusted to the new life. She still had to sort out ages of memories as well as catch up on some things she had missed while being unhooked from the global interface. The Gray home was left to her while she caught up. Noah stayed in Tel Aviv but would visit her often. Meanwhile, Sylar returned to Jerusalem.
Though Sylar & Claire physically avoided each other, they connected over the global interface. It would take some time to get used to each other again. Sylar now was nothing like the Gabriel Gray she had been with for almost three years & Claire was still mad at him anyway for blocking her memories. But she was always mad at him for something or other. Some things never changed.
In a few weeks, Peter returned to Israel. He & Claire met under Sylar's supervision. The last time they were together, they had parted ways with no plans to be friends again. Peter had abandoned her as he said he would. Would five thousand years be long enough to heal things?
"What do you say we start with a clean slate?" Peter finally asked.
"That sounds," Claire glanced at Sylar. "Perfect."
"Alright," Peter nodded. "We'll catch up later. I need to deal with our friends in the night." America's ground was one more safe. It was time to take care of its skies, along with the rest of the world.
"Sounds like a plan," Claire agreed.
After Peter disappeared, Sylar stepped up to her. "That went better than expected."
"Yeah, it did."
Sylar took her hand. "Would you like to go out to get something to eat?"
Claire looked him over before saying, "Sure. I don't suppose we can get rabbit stew around here?" She added with a laugh.
"They're unclean, anyway," Sylar said with a smirk.
"Good old flat bread," said Claire.
"Only in spring," Sylar said, beaming them away to Tiberius.
It was like they were starting over. Finding a way back to each other again. Everything was so different in a blink of an eye for Claire. But the third time really was the charm. The first time they had been together lasted barely three years. Second time was a whisper of a kiss before the memories were blocked. Now though, there was nothing to stop them. No block. No wide divide of time.
As time went on, fewer & fewer nightstalkers were to be seen until finally, they were virtually unheard of altogether. People were able to live again as before, not having to hide from the night. Life could return to normal.
For certain people though, it was also forever different. Sylar, Peter, Claire & even Noah, who had lived & grown up in the past, were the only four left standing from when it had all begun with a dark eclipse & powers appearing everywhere.
But at long last, the four of them were together again in Israel & nothing would ever separate them again. Ever!
The end.