(15) Fractured Light
Sylar grabbed Ariel's hand & dropped down three stories using Nathan's flight. He let go once he landed & moved away from her into the street of an on-coming convoy of armoured vehicles. Holding one hand up towards Ariel to prevent her from moving into the road with him, he raised his free hand & with a light flick, he sent the first three trucks flipping end over end back into the line. It caused the chaos he was looking for. Releasing Ariel, he ran forward into the fray as ISIS soldiers came pouring out of their transports to bring him down. He killed three of them by catching their own bullets fired at him with his force power & sending them right back to their unprotected heads. He went further into the line & disappeared.
Ariel finally ran forward, gun held out. She began firing at the wheels of a few trucks swerving around the disorder. One truck blew out both its front tires & tipped forward on the bumper before crashing back down. Ariel ignored it as she moved deeper into the confused fighting. She didn't watch where she was going, thinking Sylar was nearby keeping an eye on her. She took out two terrorists of her own before someone jumped at her from behind out of a passing truck. Ariel noticed too late that the back of the line-up had now caught up, but unlike their leaders, they weren't disrupted by Sylar's abilities.
Next moment, Ariel was dragged into the van & the door closed before she could catch her breath. Shouting at each other in Arabic, they sped off with her trapped in the back. Ariel nervously looked over her shoulder to see the last of the cars from the end catch up, leaving only the few that Sylar had destroyed behind. Where was he? Ariel looked ahead at the two in the front seats, still arguing while one was driving hard to the border. She crossed her arms, glaring at the one in the back with her, then remembered the tracking device Sylar had put on her. She was at first relieved he had done that, but then she suddenly figured it out.
Sylar had meant to cause some chaos. Sylar meant to suddenly just disappear, leaving her vulnerable. Sylar had used her as bait!
Ariel buried her face in both hands & whispered under breath in Hebrew, "I will murder him!" Did he even care about her at all? Who was she kidding? He was still Sylar even if he had changed his killing habits. Never to be trusted & like an idiot fangirl, she had let him have his way with her. She wasn't sure who she was mad at more right now: him or herself.
It was a long drive to wherever they were going. Ariel didn't bother fighting. They would kill her if she tried. They would do worse to her if she didn't but like it or not, she knew Sylar would be close behind. She glared at the man sitting across from her in the back. In Arabic, she snarled, "I swear if you don't let me go, you're really going to regret it."
The man laughed at her. "I will regret it more if I do let you go." He smiled wickedly, letting his eyes roam over her. "We will put you to good use."
Ariel held her arms tighter around her chest. Don't lose that bra! Switching to Hebrew, she muttered, "You can't even imagine the horror that follows me!"
She remained silent for the rest of the trip & soon, the man watching her dozed off. Though she could easily escape by becoming light, one thing Sylar said was true, it would attract unwanted attention to their inner ranks. Besides, he was coming after her anyway. There was no use telling her captors what was really going on. Their ilk deserved no less. She didn't even feel the least bit sorry for any of them. When the truck finally stopped, Ariel was roughly awakened by someone dragging her out by her hair. She landed hard on the ground. It was pitch black outside, the middle of the night. The man grabbed her again & hauled her along until they got to the door of the building they had stopped at. Once another had opened it, Ariel was thrown inside. She blinked hard in the bright lights shining from the ceiling.
They brought her down several levels. Ariel wasn't sure where they were by now but wasn't worried just yet. Sylar wouldn't be far behind. In the basement, she was thrown in with a group of about seven or eight other captives. All were female but her nieces weren't among them. The door closed & left them in a dim light. She heard the bolt lock.
After a few moments to make sure there was no one on the other side of the door, Ariel turned to the group. "Alright," she said in Hebrew. "Everyone get away from the door."
Ignoring confused looks, she hustled them all to the opposite end. In a few minutes, the door was clear. Ariel leaned against the wall & watched it. Soon, a yellow glow appeared under the door, illuminating the entire area. Ariel stood straight & checked over the others. "He's here."
A moment later, the door was wrenched off & thrown so hard against the other wall, it went right through. Sylar sauntered on in like he own the place. Ariel gasped. He was already drenched in blood. He came right for her.
They stared at each other, before suddenly, Ariel raised both hands, one to distract him & one to slap him as hard as she could across the face. Sylar seemed both surprised & amused that she had managed to hit him. "Is that any way to treat your rescuer?"
"You used me as bait!" Ariel accused.
"You just tricked me & managed to punch me," Sylar snickered. "Call us even. Let's go." He headed for the opening to lead them out.
"This isn't over!" Ariel shouted at his retreating back.
Sylar paused to look back at her. "You're right. It isn't. I'm just getting started." At that, he left without another word.
Ariel turned to the others. "Do not go any where near him," she began, using Hebrew once more. "That man is the most dangerous person on the planet. He is however, on our side. Just get out & stay away from him. We don't want any accidents. There will be a few vehicles outside. Hide in any of those until we come for you. Anyone know how to navigate this place?"
One woman raised her hand. "This is an underground bunker, but I've seen the exit more than once. We just can't get past the guards."
"He will clear the way."
"Who is he?"
"My boss," Ariel answered. "He runs a Kabbalist group in Haifa."
The woman raised a brow. "THAT one?" Ariel didn't answer. "I'm in a group in Tel Aviv. We all know about it. Was that man who just came in here really S—"
"Don't use his name here!" Ariel sharply interrupted. "We don't want American attention. Now, you get them out. I'll go after the rabbi, myself. I can handle him."
Ariel left them to it as she ran after Sylar. She didn't need to know the way to follow him. The trail of blood was telling enough. What made her stop often was the silence. Why wasn't anyone screaming in the throes of death? Wondering if Sylar had managed to regain control of himself, she hurried up stairs stained red until she burst out into the lobby above ground. Through the glass wall separating it from another wide room, she could see Sylar searching through the shelves & the computer. She slowly moved inside with him.
Without even looking, Sylar grabbed her from across the room, pinning her against the glass-paned wall. Only then did he turn to look her over. Once he realized who he had grabbed, he released his power & let her drop to the floor. He went back to his search in silence. Ariel picked herself up & watched him for a bit. She noticed his phone was connected to the computer. He was downloading files.
"They're on the top floor," Sylar finally spoke. He turned to face her. "Sorry about the baiting, but I knew the girls would not be in that procession. It was just a decoy. I figured the two groups would converge at some point so that's why I put a tracker on you. We would all end up in the same place." He looked around. "And what a place. I can get a lot of details on the ISIS here. Even some Hamas files. I might find the headquarters to either group soon enough. It will take a while to go through all of this when we get home."
"I'm a little impressed," Ariel replied coolly.
"Ohh," Sylar pouted. "You're still mad at me."
"A bit."
Sylar turned & shrugged pathetically. "Oops. Sorry."
Ariel failed to hide a laugh. "You can be so damned 'a-dork-able' when you want to be."
"A-dork-able?" Sylar laughed. He tried to get close to her.
Ariel put a forefinger on his chest & pushed. "Uh no. First of all, you're way too bloody for me. Secondly, I'm still mad at you." Sylar tried to lean forward to kiss her nose like a pathetic puppy but she pulled away. "Still so mad." Sylar rolled his eyes. Ariel moved away from him. "When will we get my nieces?"
Sylar looked down at his phone by the computer. "Two minutes & thirty-eight seconds."
"Great," Ariel parked herself on the nearest chair. "I will stay mad at you for that long."
"Make up sex is the best," Sylar teased.
Ariel just groaned. "What time is it?"
"It's almost three in the morning."
"What?" Ariel exclaimed. "But Madaba is only a couple hours away from the river."
"We're well beyond Madaba," Sylar said. "Something happened to their airport," he added somewhat coyly. "I might have maybe dropped a plane or two in the runway. Shut down the place for a bit while they clear that mess."
"That will cause them some grief for a while," Ariel said. She waited for Sylar to disconnect the phone. He pulled up a map of the area & looked it over for a moment. "How did you know they wouldn't be in that transport?" She suddenly asked.
"They're killers, Ariel. I know how they think. I am one as well, just not based on race, ethnicity or religion." Ariel dropped her eyes. What kind of creature was she getting involved with? Sylar moved towards her. "I told you, didn't I? You would see me at my worst today & the worst," He put a finger under her chin to lift up her gaze to him. "It is yet to come." He marched past her & headed down the hall. Ariel took a moment to wipe her eyes before shifting to a beam of light & streaked after him.
When she caught up to him, Sylar was fighting a vault-like door, trying to wrench it open with his force power. It was thick & heavy, sealed not only by bolts & steel but also by sensors & computer algorithms. But it slowly began to bend to his will. She appeared beside him.
"You don't need to get it open," Ariel began. "Just spread the locks a bit. We can get through as light."
Sylar zoned in on the deadbolts & soon a crack appeared at the center. He watched the golden ray of Ariel's ethereal form shoot through & followed her a moment later. They landed together on stairs & Ariel began charging up them but Sylar dragged her back until he could grab her by his hands. He pushed her behind him.
"From now on, stay behind me," He ordered. "I can protect you if I know where you are." He started up the stairs, but stopped halfway up. "So long as you stay there, I will not grab you. I do not wish you any harm but do not get in my way. I'm about to go into a feeding frenzy up there."
"What about Gissel & Nechamie?" Ariel asked. "You could accidentally kill them."
"I don't think so," Sylar replied. "They would be tied down somewhere, or locked up nearby."
"Let me find them," Ariel said. "You can't grab my light form. I will cover them that way. You stay out of the light."
"That's a good idea," Sylar agreed. "Let me clear the way a bit. When I tell you to move, go ahead." He hurried up the stairs & threw the doors off their hinges without even touching them. Both entered into a large office-like room.
There was a group of men who jumped around in surprise, guns raised & firing. Sylar caught every bullet in mid-air. In an altered voice * , Sylar said, "Alright, which one of you wants to go first?"
One man ran at him so Sylar threw all bullets into him. The man dropped dead on the floor. "Next?" Sylar grinned as he looked around at his remaining victims who now seemed a little unsure of how to deal with him. He caught the farthest one, pressed him against the wall on the opposite side of the room & proceeded to scalp him. Ariel covered her ears as the man screamed. Sylar let the body drop. "I've missed this." He moved into the middle of the room, pulling something out of his pocket. Swinging his arm forward with a hard thrust, he physically gutted his next victim with a dagger while at the same time, another man clutched his own throat after Sylar had cut it using his ability.
Sylar moved forward, working his way across the room. He stepped into the river of blood, using it to slide across quickly to his next victim. His force power ripped through all the screens & computers, destroying their mass Intel they had gathered. He summoned wires to his hand & wrapped them quickly around the next man's neck then hoisted him up & left him to hang from an exposed beam in the ceiling. He stayed under the writhing body, letting the blood drip into his hair, while he pinned another man to the wall, using bits of the broken chairs & desks he had just ripped through. He lifted a single finger & cut the throat of the last man in the room. The door across from Ariel popped open.
"Go now!"
Ariel didn't move, still staring at the bloody scene before her. She had to cross over all that blood. Sylar still stood under the hanging body that was slowly becoming still, letting the shower of blood trickle over him.
"ARIEL!" Sylar bellowed at her. "NOW! I can only hold back for so long."
Ariel tore her eyes away from the mess. She shifted to a dazzling beacon of light & zoomed over the area. She found the two girls tied together on the floor & hovered over them, blinding their guard. She was about to change to cut them loose but she felt Sylar come forward. She made sure her light didn't cover the guard. Sylar picked the confused man up while being all the way on the other side & tossed him hard against the wall. With one finger, he cut through the forehead. Ariel tried to keep the girls blinded as much as possible until the world's greatest terror was through with his antics.
Sylar came to them & dropped to his knees, holding the knife in one hand. Using his force, he cut between the two teenage girls, severing their bonds from each other. He looked up at the covering yellow light & pushed both hands through his hair to shake off some blood. The blade of the knife was carefully held between his fingers. Ariel moved over to him until he could barely see through her brilliance. She appeared before him, standing between him & her nieces.
"I told you not to kill the way you usually do," She berated him.
"Would you relax?" Sylar said. "I looked at the map for the complex. Soon as you three get out & get the others away, I'm blowing it up with the gas pipes. There will be no evidence. It's going to look like an accident." He held out the knife. Ariel slowly took it from him & backed away. "I put a map into the van I left for you. Take them down & get out of here so the blast won't take you out. I'll meet you at the River Jordan on the way to Jericho."
She helped Gissel & Nechamie up, cut loose their final bonds & brought them away. Before passing through the door, she used the knife to cut large strips from her jacket & blindfolded both of them so they wouldn't see the visceral carnage left behind by Sylar & then led them out. The crucified man in the previous room was still suffering. He spoke in Arabic to her as she past, begging her to end him but she paid him no mind. He would be ended in a few minutes anyway once Sylar blew up the place.
Sylar watched from the window until he could see Ariel take charge of the only van he had left on its wheels in one of the outdoor spotlights. Once it was on its way well down the road, he shattered the window & jumped down several stories, landing lightly on the ground. A few moments later, the whole complex blew up in a raging fire that illuminated the night as he walked forward in the same direction. Once away from the heat, he took on his old Kestrel form & flew after the retreating truck.
From his height, Sylar could see the lights of various larger cities. The long beams of the headlights shone down the road under him. Flying straight, he reached the Jordan, sparkling in the moonlight like a glassy snake in the desert, before any one else & took the opportunity to dive into the muddy water. A red current soon flowed downriver. Sylar got out & sat on a large rock to dry out in the desert heat while he waited for the van to appear.
By the time Ariel drove into sight, it was already early morning. She pulled off to the side to park across from him & attempted to get out. The woman from Tel Aviv held her back, whispering in Hebrew. "What are you doing, Ariel?"
"I'm going to go talk to him," Ariel returned, also in Hebrew.
"Talk to him?! You'll get killed!"
"I'll be fine," Ariel insisted. She got out, ignoring the other woman's whimpers. She slowly walked over to Sylar who had been watching her. Switching back to English, she spoke, "Well, you're quite a sight."
"The clay in this river kind of stuck to me," Sylar replied with a lop-sided grin.
Ariel nodded as she looked him over. "I'd say it's an improvement." Sylar was covered in dried out mud & there was still a bit of blood worked into the mix.
Sylar got off the rock. "What about them?"
Ariel looked back at the vehicle. The woman she had left behind was staring wild-eyed at them. "We'll drive to Jericho & ditch the van. Tabitha will take care of the others. Some of them are Muslims from Jerusalem."
"They take their own kind?"
"Yes, quite often," Ariel replied sadly. "In Jerusalem, we have different quarters. Jews. Muslims. Christians. We all get along fine. It's the ISIS that give common Muslims a bad name, just like the Crusades of the Christians."
"With the files I gathered," Sylar picked up his phone. "Perhaps someday we can stop them."
Ariel gave him a strange look. "Yes," She finally said before heading back to the van. "We will."
Sylar shifted to the Kestrel once more & flew ahead. He landed in a tree close to the main road & tucked his head under a wing to sleep a bit until Ariel arrived. The sun climbed higher & it was getting hotter. Even in the tree, partially shaded among the branches, Sylar was soon finding it difficult to doze in the rising temperature & it didn't help his situation with the hardening mud either. He would no longer be able to fly unless he started getting it off. As he saw her van pull in to the parking lot, he went to work on his feathers while he waited for her.
Ariel parked once more & this time, everyone got out. Tabitha was last & she looked around for Sylar, looking straight at him as he perched in a nearby tree above some dromedaries & one camel, before coming out completely. Sylar casually continued preening as he waited to catch Ariel alone. No one knew he could change to animals yet, not even her.
The women soon came over & began taking the dromedaries. Sylar continued to preen, now trying to get the caked mud off his chest. Some of it crumbled & fell on Ariel. She looked up at him for a bit. Sylar shook himself, ruffling up the feathers. It loosened some more mud. Ariel rubbed it out of her eyes & moved away.
Tabitha eventually rode away with the others, leaving Ariel alone with Gissel & Nechamie. Sylar turned his back to them, spread the tail & began stroking the long pinions with his bill, waiting for them to leave so he could change back. While the younger girls amused themselves with the one & only camel among the group of remaining dromedaries, Ariel came to watch him preen.
Sylar paused, eyeing her with one eye before twisting his head to pull at some feathers on his back. Why won't she leave, already?
"Rabbi," Ariel said in a low voice. Sylar slowly lifted his head out of his feathers for a moment before catching himself. He tried preening a wing. "I know that's you."
Even as a bird, Sylar couldn't hide his shock. He lifted his head from his still-outstretched wing.
"No Kestrel is that dirty," Ariel laughed. She held up a hand. "Want to go home & have a real shower?"
Sylar slowly closed his wing & hopped into her hand.
Ariel moved away to some bushes & placed him on the ground behind them. "Did you pick that up from someone you just killed?" She asked in a whisper once he changed back.
"No," Sylar said. "I got it from one of the nightstalkers."
"Oh so that's why this ability isn't in your record," Ariel said. "You got it from the future."
"Yeah & I think it's one of my favorites," Sylar went on. "I could follow Noah every where & he didn't even know."
"So when you told Noah a little birdie told you," Ariel began. "You literally meant it."
"Pretty much," Sylar half-laughed.
"How are you feeling?" Ariel asked.
Sylar watched Gissel & Nechamie try to get the camel up. "Let's just say that was a long time in coming. Seventeen years worth of pent up energy." He took Ariel's hand & held it up between them. "Did I scare you back there?"
"A little."
"Good," Sylar let her go. "If you noticed, I killed in just about every single way I used to do. Let you see it all."
"Why?"
"Because THAT is what we have to tell Noah," Sylar said. "That is what I've been struggling with for a few years now." He headed towards the camel. "Come. I should beam us over to your home no—whoa! Easy!" The camel had leapt to its feet & was now staring Sylar down.
Ariel fought back a laugh. "I think you startled it."
"It's a habit of mine," Sylar muttered.
"Have you ever ridden one of these?"
"No, I've never been on any type of riding animal."
"What? Really? Not even a horse?"
Sylar hesitated. "A horse. Uh, that's complicated."
"Horse riding isn't complicated," Ariel disagreed. "Camels are similar."
"No, I mean," Sylar rubbed the back of his neck for a moment. "Ok technically, I've never been on any riding animal. Born & raised in New York. I've never been around farm animals. But I have also had plenty of horse riding lessons so to speak, thanks to Nathan Petrelli."
Ariel stared at him. "Are you saying Nathan was a friend of yours?"
"No," Sylar said. "Something happened. The day he died & the day he actually died are two different days." He explained. "So while I have never been riding, I could probably ride a horse easily since both of them had lessons." He grumbled under breath. "Peter is the better rider. But it's the only area where he can best me!"
"Those last few months of Nathan's politics was you?"
"Yes," Sylar replied. "Not even I knew what the heck was going on. Took me a while to figure it out. Get my body back under control. Literally pull myself together. Then the truth came out about me killing Nathan. Peter crucified me for it."
"What?"
"Oh yes he did & that bastard enjoyed every single moment of it too," Sylar complained. "I hate him!"
Ariel laughed & shook her head. Nechamie, the older of the two, held out the reins to him. "You can ride her."
"We don't have to ride," Sylar said. "I can take the three of you home in an instant."
"I think it would be hilarious to see you ride one of these," Ariel said. Sylar glared at her. "Think about it. Did Peter ever ride one? You could do something he probably would never think to try."
"You love blackmail, don't you?" Sylar snarled through gritted teeth. Anyone else would try to run in terror but Ariel just turned away, laughing. "Fine. Get me on the damn thing! Now do I sit on one of the bumps or in between?"
"Since this is your first time, you might be safer in between," Ariel said. She held the animal steady while Sylar hoisted himself up, then got onto a dromedary all by herself. "You two stay right here," She spoke to her nieces. "We'll only be a—GABRIEL NO! Uh oh."
Sylar had just kicked the camel like a horse & the thing took off, grunting & bellowing. "THIS IS NOTHING LIKE RIDING A HORSE!"
"Ohh no!" Ariel could do nothing but watch as the beast stampeded right through a tent & then balked in front of a watering hole. (It was at this precise nanosecond that Sylar knew he was screwed. Royally!) Next moment, Sylar was flipped sideways & landed dead center of the hole, splashing water in all directions. Ariel jumped off her own steed & ran to help him out. "Now you really need a shower!"
"Yes, I do!"
"Are you ok?" Ariel gasped for air. "Hang on. Let me get the camel!"
"You do that," Sylar silently reminded himself to not kill Ariel or there would be no more sexy time for him for a while.
It took some time to catch & secure the camel that was now agitated enough to spit, help with resetting the tent & then find a place out of sight where the four of them could grab each other's hands so Sylar could pull them through space & ended up in Ariel's home in Jerusalem. Ariel left Sylar alone in the living room for a moment as she brought the two girls back to their mother who was in the kitchen at the time.
A few minutes later, Ariel returned to the living room. "We're going to bring them to the hospital to get them checked out. Why not have a shower while we're out?"
Sylar saw himself in the mirror. He really was a mess & the suit was most certainly ruined. "I think I will."
"Will you still be here when we get back?"
Sylar silently regarded her before asking in a low voice, "Do you want me here when you're back?"
"I think I would like that," Ariel answered. "Maybe we could go out to get something to eat later."
"Then I'll be here," Sylar said. After Ariel left, he changed to the Kestrel & transported to his own home. After quickly checking around to make sure Noah wouldn't see him, Sylar went inside to find a note on the table from Noah. He was out with Jason for the day. He put the note aside & headed upstairs.
Once the two girls were in the office with a doctor, Devorah grabbed Ariel's hand & hauled her outside. She marched to the car & leaned on it for a moment, then rounded on Ariel. "Are you sleeping with him?"
Ariel stared at her. "We literally just did that once. Yesterday."
"You slept with Sylar on Sabbath on top of it all?"
"There's nothing wrong with sex on Sabbath. Just can't enter a synagogue without a proper cleansing."
"Depends who you talk to," Devorah said. She shook her head. "I can not believe you would do something like that! You DO know what Sylar is, right?"
"He's my boss," Ariel said. "I've known him for many years. He's the one Shlomo was looking for."
"Working with him is one thing," Devorah said. "But to get involved with him like that? Are you insane?"
"You haven't been with him like I have. You don't know him like I do."
"Thank God for that!" Devorah retorted. "Wait. Are you in love with him?"
"With the man, Gabriel, not Sylar the power!"
"What difference does that make?"
"It makes all the difference in the world!" Ariel insisted.
"Unbelievable!" Devorah just shook her head. "You've gone & fallen for him. Flipped head over heels!"
"So what if I have? It's my life!"
"A life he can take at any time!"
"He's not like that any more."
"Sylar is notorious for his blood-thirsty rampages! That doesn't just stop."
"No, it didn't," Ariel admitted. "It took him a while to get his power sorted. But with Shlomo's help, he was able to do it for the sake of his son. Gabriel regrets what happened."
"That doesn't bring them back."
"Neither does constantly dredging up his past to shove it in his face," Ariel retorted. "He is trying to move beyond that & is doing a very good job on it, too."
"How did you get Nechamie back? Gissel? Hmm? How did you do that with his help?"
"We raided an ISIS bunker."
"Did he kill any one?"
"Of course," Ariel said. "So did I! So what? They're just terrorists."
"For you, they are," Devorha said. "But what if it gives him a taste of his old life? You want to unleash Sylar on the world again?"
"Know what? I'm glad you brought that up," Ariel said. "Gabriel said he could take them out. He had never participated in warfare before. It might actually be good for him to keep him away from murder in the streets."
"Oh listen to yourself!"
"There's more," Ariel plowed on. "I think I figured out what Shlomo saw in him. I think Gabriel might be the one."
"What do you mean?"
"You know. The one!" Ariel repeated. "The one to put an end to all this. Gabriel said he could do it once he knew where the headquarters were. I think Shlomo saw that."
"From what I hear of Rabbi Gray, & I use the word Rabbi loosely, he is an atheist," Devorah pointed out. "Neither does he seem to have any Jewish history. He can not be the one, Ariel!"
"Beliefs change, history is lost."
"Bah! Stupid girl. You are blinded by more than your ability!" Devorah pushed away from the hood of the car. "Do not come haunting me if he ends up killing you!"
"Fine!" Ariel gave up arguing. She watched Devorah go back into the hospital before turning away & switching to her light form to get back home before Devorah came up with something else to argue about concerning Sylar. She filtered into the half open window of her bedroom & reflected in her long mirror standing in the opposite corner.
The mirror soon showed another figure coming up to it. Sylar checked over its frame which seemed to glow a little & his own reflection was dull in the bright light. "Ariel?"
The mirror quickly returned to normal as a statue of light suddenly stood between it & Sylar a moment before Ariel appeared. "I'm way too tired to be arguing with my sister right now," Ariel began. "So I left before either of us said something we'd regret."
"She doesn't like me too much, does she?"
"She'll get over it," Ariel insisted. "She just doesn't know you like I do right now."
"Right now?" Sylar echoed softly, moving closer to her. He kissed her, pushing her back towards the bed until both collapsed onto it. He looked down into her eyes. "We have the house alone for a bit, don't we?"
"Gabriel ... "
He silenced her with another kiss, slowly working one hand between them to start undressing her. Her top was soon cast to the floor. Sylar pushed the bra away & held himself up over her, with his hands over her exposed breasts. He slowly lowered himself down onto her for a moment, sucking on her left nipple as both began to work on stripping him next.
Ariel ran her hand up his back, feeling the soft fine velvet of his jacket before pushing it off. She moved up a bit on the bed while he removed the last bit of clothing before lying on her once more. Sylar rolled them both over, putting her on top. He let her have her way with him, working against his desire. He pushed up into her, feeling himself shake with an almost insatiable lust for flesh. It was as strong as his need for blood & he had given into both literally over night.
He eventually pushed hard enough to turn them back & now he had complete control of Ariel as he held her under him once more. She had her head back over the edge a little, exposing her throat. Sylar looked down over her & was suddenly caught in two battles, desperately hoping to win only one of them. He leaned down to kiss her neck, her jawline, moving up to her forehead. All places to kiss or to cut. He was aroused again in more than one way. No, he did not want to kill her! Or did he? Blood was another need of his. He had to remind himself there were plenty of terrorists to kill. Leave Ariel alone! He focused hard on the edge of paradise. But was he to gain entry through the pleasure of the woman under him, or her blood on his hands?
"OW! Gabriel, don't move!" Ariel suddenly yelped. He froze, half-terrified if he had started cutting into her without thinking. Ariel sat up as best possible with him still on her. "Ohh do I feel stupid right now. My hair is caught on something."
Sylar tried to sit up & pull his hands away, only to make her yelp again. It was then he realized what she was caught on. The only thing he was still wearing for he never took it off. The old Sylar watch. The scar he kept as a reminder of what he could become. "It's my watch," Sylar tried not to laugh as he reached over with his free hand to disentangle it from her thick hair. Once he got free, he could barely look Ariel in the eyes before burying his face into her breasts as he burst out laughing.
"Who the hell wears a freaking watch while they're having sex?" Ariel sobbed.
"Me, apparently!" Sylar put a hand between her soft black mounds to rub his own eyes. He wasn't sure if he was crying from laughing or from relief. That bloody (literally) watch had most likely just saved Ariel's life. He did not want her dead. His power demanded blood. But he was now in control & he alone could choose who died. He sighed & raised his face from her chest."It doesn't even work any more. I never did finish fixing it."
"Why do you keep it then?"
Sylar pushed himself up to sit back on her hips to tell her the whole story of it. "By now, the Sylar company doesn't exist any more. They changed everything & got rid of this brand because of me. There are only about three thousand Sylar watches out there, including mine."
"I often wondered how you got the name Sylar."
"I knew I was about to do something I never did before, something evil," Sylar said. "I wasn't quite sure what at that moment, but sheer instinct told me I had to protect myself, first. Next thing I knew, I did my first kill & was able to do this," He lifted the blanket right off them without touching it. "Ever since." He let the cover fall over them again. He went down onto her, feeling her firm breasts squished against his chest. "You ok?" He asked softly.
Ariel stroked his back a few times. "Depends what you mean," She replied, wiggling her hips to make him move again.
"Well, if that's what you want," Sylar smiled slyly.
When they finally came together, Sylar lay back & pulled her onto his chest. They were soon both asleep. The sun was low by the time they woke up again over an hour later. It cast a ray through the window over them. He lifted his watch-hand into the light to look at the thing for a moment. Ariel sat up & let the blankets drop back, allowing the sun to strike his uncovered body. She looked him over before lying next to him once more with her head on his chest.
"Just realized something," Ariel suddenly spoke. "You're not cut."
Sylar lowered his hand. "I hope not. I could use some blood again, but I don't want to kill you."
"No, no," Ariel giggled into his chest for a moment. "I mean, you're not cut."
"Alright, ya lost me."
Ariel raised her face to look at him. "You definitely weren't born Jewish. All Jewish boys get snipped in their first week of life."
"Yeah, I know," Sylar replied, still not getting it. Then suddenly, he got it. "Oh my God! Ok, maybe I should kill you! Was that what you were doing a moment ago? Checking to see if I was circ-ed?" Ariel rolled away, laughing. "Get back here!" Sylar pulled her back. Both fell into the pillows, giggling like idiots. "What am I going to do with you?" Sylar groaned, still laughing at the same time.
Ariel crossed her arms over his chest. "It's been almost a whole day since either of us had anything to eat. It's quiet out there. I could show you around Jerusalem. Come out with me?"
"Sure."
She got out of bed & began getting dressed. Sylar laid back to enjoy the view for a bit before doing the same. Ariel opened the door & led him out through the house. They found Devorah sitting by the bay window of the living room, reading. The sisters shared a look before Devorah's eyes shifted to Sylar.
"Rabbi," She acknowledged his presence, though it was obviously a hard thing to do.
"Ma'am," Sylar was equally stiff about it, knowing he deserved her disapproval.
"We're going out to get something to eat," Ariel interjected before either of them could continue. "I'll be back later."
"Alright," Devorah raised one brow for a moment as Ariel grabbed Sylar's hand & pulled him out the door.
They stepped into a bright reddish setting sun. A hot desert wind blew through the streets as Ariel moved along them with ease, showing him her ancient city. She ducked into a darkened alley & shifted to light. As she streaked away, Sylar switched to his own light form & followed her. Both blended into the sun's rays & passed by unseen. Ariel soon reappeared in a dark garden. Sylar dropped beside her a moment later.
"This one is more for you," Ariel ran up some steps & leaned over a wall. "That's the Via Dolorosa."
Sylar stared down at the route for a long time. He slowly backed away from the railing. "I never thought ... I mean, of course I heard of it, but to actually be here. Shlomo said He existed."
"Of course, He did," Ariel said. "Caused us a lot of grief back then. Sorry. I'm just saying, most of us don't think much about Him other than the Christians' God."
"Yeah, I know most Jews don't consider Him the Messiah."
Ariel moved closer to him. "We're still waiting for ours." She was giving him that odd sort of look again.
It dawned on Sylar of what she was implying. "Ariel?" He reached out to her but she had already changed & shot away, bouncing off windows of glass as she went. He went after her.
He found her by the Eucalyptus but before he could say anything, she had already gone inside. He followed her in. Ariel was already sitting at the table & he was ushered to her side. "You should try the Maklubah," she said the moment he sat down across from her.
"This is by reservation," Sylar said. "How long have you planned this?"
"Yearly," Ariel said. "It's Shlomo's birthday. We used to meet up here every year. Same table."
"So this Maklubah is his favorite dish & you want me to try it?"
"No, it's mine & yes," Ariel answered. "His favorite was the Ingeria, which I'm getting so you can still try it." She paused while the waiter poured out two glasses from the blue bottle sitting on ice by their table. "Moscato is usually something we have with friends over the Sabbath," she went on after they were left alone again.
"Not bad," Sylar tried it. "Kind of reminds me of that drink Noah brought home one day. Jason had given him some. Oh did I ever have to scrape that kid off the ceiling. It was before his power developed."
"Ohh let me guess," Ariel snickered. She waited until their plates were placed before them before finishing. "Was it Kedem?"
"I don't know," Sylar replied. "But he was bat shit crazy for a day!"
Ariel was crying from laughter again. She wiped her eyes. "Yup. That sounds like Kedem. It's basically a crack alcoholic drink for our kids. It was probably mixed with a little too much Fresca."
"I'm just glad he can't ever get drunk again," Sylar said. "It's not pretty. Too bad he doesn't remember it. Too young, I guess."
"Why can't he get drunk again? Some rule of yours?"
"Not me, it's his ability," Sylar explained.
They talked of abilities for a while. It eventually led into the topic of their Kabbalah clan. Slowly they got around to discussing what to do with the files Sylar had downloaded, ultimately deciding to send copies of it all to the current Israeli Prime Minister. Thoughts of any Messiah were forgotten at the time.
It was almost two hours later before they left. Night was in full cover over Jerusalem; though, the city itself was still lit in the street from the various places still open. Ariel & Sylar ended up walking down one of the main roads through the city. Sylar pulled her aside & held her close.
"Thank you for this, Ariel," He murmured. "It's been a long while since I had a good time like this."
"How is your blood lust?"
Sylar closed his eyes. "It will always be there, but I own it now. I just have to train my mind to accept the fact that our targets are different now."
"You've come down a very long road, Gabriel."
"I still have a long way to go," Sylar replied softly. "I am walking my own Via Dolorosa, but the cross I carry is invisible. This damn power I was born with & unlike His, mine will never go away."
Ariel looked into his eyes. "I hope some day it will go away, for your sake." Sylar pulled her close to kiss her. They broke apart abruptly as someone interrupted them.
"Another kike lover," the intruder snarled.
"Excuse me?" Sylar glared, pulling Ariel behind him.
"You people are all the same," the man went on. "You'll all get what you deserve."
Sylar took a step forward. "Do you have any idea who I am?" He shoved the man back into the street without even touching him. "I am Sylar!" The man glared at him for a moment before running away.
"Gabriel, you shouldn't have!" Ariel berated him.
"He shouldn't have used such language."
"Just let it go," Ariel took his hand as she looked into his eyes. Sylar was suddenly illuminated before her as a starburst exploded behind him in the sky. For a split second, both thought of fireworks until they looked around just in time to see another burst. Rockets! The air raid siren was suddenly blaring.
"Oh no!" Ariel gasped. "They've gotten some past the Iron Dome. We must get to a shelter!" She grabbed his hand & together, they ran for it.
Another rocket landed in the building up ahead, sending shards of stone raining down. Sylar pulled Ariel down to the ground & covered her with his own body. He felt several large pieces hit the ground nearby. They got up & ran again. Ariel turned into an alley & headed down with Sylar close behind. Another blast sealed the part they had just run through.
"Over here!" Ariel ran into the open. She turned back to wait for Sylar. "Come on, hurry!" She pushed him forward towards the open bomb shelter. Sylar jumped down the flight of stairs.
Ariel followed him towards the bunker. She dropped to her knees as another volley shot over head. One landed in the street behind them & she felt the blast as it knocked her forward. She got up & looked around. Several lay dead around her. She saw some movement & picked up a small child out of the mess.
"Ariel! What are you doing?" Sylar shouted at her from the edge of the bunker. "We're going to close it now. Come on!"
Ariel just looked at him & then threw the child hard into the air towards him. Sylar barely had time to think as he came out of the bunker & grabbed the young girl with his power. He turned & dropped her into the shelter, then slammed the lid, shutting himself out. He couldn't die so he didn't exactly need to be in it. But Ariel could! He had to stay near her to keep her safe. He ran to her side, catching a rocket in midair & throwing it far back into the sky where it exploded.
"Get down!" Sylar pulled Ariel under him again.
"Why didn't you get in the bunker?" Ariel demanded.
"I can get hurt but I can't die, remember?" Sylar said. "You can!"
The air raid suddenly stopped. Gunfire could be heard in the streets. A ground attack. Sylar pushed Ariel back, away from the road.
"Are they coming here?" Ariel asked.
Sylar waited as he listened to the sound of fighting, growing ever louder. "Yes! Stay behind me." he looked back at her. "I guess it's another round of killing for me."
"Remember, you're in control!" Ariel said.
Sylar turned back to the road just in time to see three large vehicles come speeding down while their occupants fired machine guns from each window. Sylar caught the bullets & let them drop in front of him. He flipped over the first van, sending it crashing into the one behind. The third one careened out of control to avoid the mess, only to slam into a stone wall & explode, setting off a machine gun as it burst into flames. Several of the bullets struck Sylar before the gun disintegrated in the heat. Sylar leaned forward, hands on knees as the Regen pushed out five bullets & healed. He slowly stood up once more. The bombs & fires lit the area as bright as day & he could see the bodies of those who didn't make it to any of the shelters.
" ... Gabriel ... "
Sylar turned to find Ariel standing behind him, slightly hunched over, her hands pressed to her breasts. Her eyes were wide as if she were in shock, or pain, or both. He didn't need his power to understand what happened. "No. No no no!" Sylar ran to catch her as she tipped forward. "NO! Ariel!" He went to the ground with her. She was gasping for breath now. He could hear a low gurgling as her lungs filled with her own blood. "Ariel, you're going to be alright. I can fix this. I'll just go back in time a few minutes. I'll get you."
"No."
"Ariel! I can save you."
"But you'll kill a child," Ariel replied weakly. "Either the girl I saved, or Noah."
"Ariel!"
"Don't change the timeline!" Ariel pleaded. "We've got to keep Noah safe."
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine," Ariel whispered. "There is another life, Gabriel. I can see it already. I'll find you. On the other side of eternity."
"Even if there is," Sylar said between tears. "There is no place for me. Punishment for what I have done."
"I'll put in ... a good word," Ariel gasped. She suddenly looked at him. Her eyes started to glaze over. "I ... know ... what you ... are."
Sylar looked down at her, lying in his arms, waiting for her to say what she meant. But she was gone forever now. Yet somehow, he knew what she thought he was. He held her up close, pressing their foreheads together. "I am not the one. How can I be?"
* From season 1 of Heroes, Sylar & Peter both seem to have this altered voice.