(29) The Obsidian Tallit
Noah had fallen asleep on the bed next to Jason, waiting for him to heal completely. He was roused late the next morning by a hand petting his hair. Noah lifted his head after a moment to find Jason staring back at him. There were no more wounds. It was as if he had just woken up after going to bed like any normal person.
"Be grateful I let you sleep in," Jason began. "It's almost eleven. OW! What did you do that for?" He pushed himself up & rubbed his arm.
"Do you have any idea what just happened?" Noah complained. "You almost died on me last night!"
"I remember seeing a bright flash," Jason shrugged. "Next thing I know, I'm waiting for a later hour to be able to get up since somebody likes to sleep in. This is a hospital bed, right?" He looked around. "What happened?" Noah glared at him before pulling himself closer to lie next to him & tell him everything. After several minutes of silence, Jason asked, "Where are my parents, Noah?"
"Well, your Dad's fine," Noah began. "Bit busted up but not as bad as some others. But I haven't seen him since last night. He'll be glad you're alright. He thinks he's coming back here to pull the plug on you."
"Yeah, I'm still trying to process that," Jason gasped. "Was it really that bad?"
"You were dead apart from the machines keeping some bit of you going," said Noah. "It was enough for my blood to fix you."
"Well, first thing we should do is go find him," Jason pushed Noah off so he could get up. "He could use some good news."
"I thought you didn't care about him?"
"I don't want him dead," Jason defended. "Just stop meddling with my life."
Noah moved back to make room for Jason & nearly fell over. "Be careful," he looked down to find all the tubes & wires that had connected Jason to the machine strewn about on the floor.
"I pulled all that off earlier but someone was sleeping so I just threw them away," Jason shrugged. He helped Noah kick them into a pile. Both turned to leave & nearly walked into a nurse who had come in. She yelped in surprise.
"Miracles happen, I guess," Noah tried to pass off Jason's amazing recovery as some sort of medical fluke.
But the nurse wasn't staring at Jason. She was looking directly at Noah. "I thought he was here for a moment," She said. "You look so much like your father."
"You know him?" Noah asked.
"Not personally," said the nurse. "But I've heard all about him. Been following the story for over twenty years. Heard he is being held in New York, now."
"Three hundred years," said Noah. "We're going downstairs to get something to eat." He scooted around her & out the door, dragging Jason by the hand behind him.
"What was that about?" Jason asked.
"I hate this attention," Noah muttered. "Ever since Dad's trial." He pulled out his phone & called Nehemiah. They made into the lobby by the time Noah was done explaining how his blood had saved Jason. But there was no excitement or relief when Noah paused, waiting for Nehemiah to say something. "Rabbi?" Noah tried. Jason had returned to Noah's side by now, after checking himself out of the hospital. "Do you want me to tell him?" Noah finally said.
"Sure," Nehemiah sighed. "Better get down here. Better hurry."
Noah eventually put the phone away & looked at Jason. "Your Dad found something."
"What?"
"There isn't any easy way to say this," Noah began. "He found ... He ... Jason? He found your Mom's head."
The rest of the day went by in a fuzzy haze for Jason. Noah had led the way down to a triage center that had been set up in the streets. They found Nehemiah sitting on the edge of the back end of a truck. There was a small wooden box closed up on the ground nearby & Jason instinctively lunged for it. Nehemiah held him back. Tirzah had been standing right next to the bomber & whatever was left of her was in that box. Upon seeing Jason alive & well again did seem to put Nehemiah into better spirits at last & he held on to his son, crying a long time on his shoulder.
Noah moved away to call his father about what happened. After hanging up, Sylar all but put his fist through the cement wall & was fortunate he could heal. Tirzah was one of few he had been close to but more than that, he knew it was just the beginning. Noah called one of his school friends next to go after Aviv since Jerusalem was currently under martial law & no one could get in or out for a while.
The next step was to bury what little they had of Tirzah immediately. The small casket was placed in an underground vault. It seemed lost & alone as they eventually returned topside. No one mentioned the fact that this was not where she was supposed to be. The Gatineau family had their place in Haifa but it would be a while before any one could go home. Too late for Tirzah's burial so she was to be left behind in a singular vault.
Noah & Jason fell behind Nehemiah, following him to some place they would apparently stay until they could go home. Noah's mind kept wandering back to school & how much trouble he was in already. He would miss a few days now. He knew it was ridiculous to think about such things right now but nothing else came to mind, except occasionally his father or Aviv.
The three of them were soon ushered into a home by a young girl who instantly latched onto Noah for some reason. She pulled him forward to meet her sister & mother. Nehemiah spoke first & then told the boys they were staying here for a while.
"She knew Ariel," Nehemiah went on, speaking directly to Noah. "The woman who worked with your father. Devorah & her two daughters. I see you've already met Nechamie. Gissel is her sister."
"Great," Noah nodded politely, but dreaded the publicity about to come his way. "I'm Noah."
"I know," Nechamie said. "I met your Dad. He saved us."
"He did?"
"Yeah," Nechamie nodded. "It was the day before that raid when Ariel got killed."
"Oh," Noah relaxed a little. If it was that long ago then perhaps they weren't lying when they said they knew Sylar from just 'hearing' about him. They actually seemed to know him.
"My sister & I already rearranged our rooms," Gissel said, eyeing Jason. "Girls in hers. Boys in mine." Jason looked horrified & Noah burst out laughing.
There was a small slapping sound & Gissel was instantly cowed. "That is quite enough, Gissel!" Devorah glared at her, then turned to Nehemiah. "I assure you, the children will be strictly watched."
"No need," Nehemiah said. "They're ... um, wait, how do you guys say it?"
"Homo-romantic, asexual," Noah & Jason droned out together.
"Yeah, that," Nehemiah said.
"What does that mean?" Devorah asked.
"All I heard was homo—something," Nechamie said with a dejected sigh. "They're gay."
"Not quite," Noah said at the same time Jason gave up & muttered, "Close enough."
Both girls looked utterly sad. Meanwhile, Nehemiah looked at Devorah & actually managed a short grin. The six of them went into the dining room where a late lunch was already set out & waiting. The two adults sat together while the four teenagers lined either side of the table with Nechamie & Gissel facing Noah & Jason.
"So what did you say exactly?" Nechamie leaned forward & asked Noah who was directly across from her.
"What, homo-romantic, asexual?" Noah asked under breath. They kept their voices down, knowing this conversation was not appropriate for the table & did not want to draw attention from the adults.
"Yeah that," Nechamie nodded. "What does that mean?"
"It means you have no chance with my fiancé," Jason replied, putting a hand over Noah's. "I proposed to him a while ago. We lost his ring, but his father will replace it soon." He was being protective, having lost a lot today & wanted to keep Noah exceptionally close.
Noah moved his foot sideways to step on Jason's toes. "Homo-romantic means we only can love other guys & asexual means we aren't ruled by sex. We don't physically attract. We prefer intellectual connection."
"You'll never have sex?" Gissel asked quietly as if in awe.
"Oh we will & do," Noah said. "But not often & it is not an obligation. More of a if it happens, it happens & if it doesn't then it doesn't thing & it can only happen with someone we have known for a very long time. No one night stand stuff. We can't do that. Don't see the point in it."
"I've never met a guy who wasn't sex-driven," Nachemie mused.
"So you girls sleep around then?" Noah asked. It was his turn to have his toes crushed.
"What?" Gissel went red. "No. We are waiting for marriage."
"It's the wait that's killing us," Nechamie muttered. Noah choked on his wine.
"What's going on down there?" Devorah reached forward & jabbed Gissel on the arm with her fork. "Eat in silence, please."
"Yes, Mother," Both girls muttered, staring into their plates.
"I apologize for the girls' rudeness," Devorah began. "They are young & impatient."
"They're not being rude," Noah defended.
Jason whispered out of the corner of his mouth to Noah. "Yes, they are."
"Nechamie just asked me what I meant earlier is all," Noah went on, ignoring Jason.
Devorah seemed mildly surprised at the mention of Nechamie, usually it was Gissel causing problems. "Very well," She let the matter go. "How are you doing?" She asked.
"Fine, I guess," Noah shrugged.
"Your father was in this house for one day," Devorah went on. "He is now in jail back in America for a very long time."
"New York City," Noah said.
"So who is to look after you in the meantime?"
"Uncle Peter, Uncle Luke & Mom."
"Your Mother?" Devorah gasped.
"Yeah, I found her," said Noah. "They all check up on me. Uncle Peter literally drops in & Mom called me a few times. So does Uncle Luke. Oh I should send them my new phone number." He turned on his phone & began sending messages through Facebook. He told them all to stay in America for now until he could get back home.
"At least you're not totally by yourself," Devorah said. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"
"Fine," Noah put the phone away after a moment. "Just worried about school, really."
"I called the principle & your Commander," Nehemiah said. "You won't have any trouble for missing days in school or at the base. They know what's going on."
"Thank you, Rabbi," Noah gasped. He had completely forgotten about his military training. "Any idea when we can go home?"
"It will be at least a month," Nehemiah stated grimly. This shut the entire table up for the rest of the meal.
Afterwards, the women took care of cleaning up the table. Noah automatically tried to help since he was used to just him & his father doing everything, but was instantly shooed out. He went onto the back porch with Jason while Nehemiah went to set himself up in the spare guest room. A short while later, Gissel found the boys & wasted no time showing Jason & Noah her room & how she had set up two beds for them. Once she left them alone, they pushed the beds together to make one & settled in.
Both lay back on the full bed a few minutes later. "That was really weird," Jason remarked.
"What?"
"How you just let that conversation go on like that," Jason said. "Didn't your Dad ever teach you not to talk about stuff like that at the table?"
"Dad always talked to me about sex at the table," Noah shrugged. "It's his favorite topic & probably his favorite place to do it on."
"Ew, what?" Jason just stared.
"First, he was worried something happened to me since it took a while for me to bring anyone home," Noah began after a laugh. "Then he teased me mercilessly about being ace."
"Wait, your Dad doesn't like how you got born?"
"Oh he does," said Noah. "He is quite supportive but he also likes to tease. Must be a parent thing."
"I guess," Jason sighed. "Must be an American thing to act like that at the table. I'd would have been smacked if my Dad caught me talking about such topics there, or worse than talking."
"You have a weird Dad," Noah teased. He rolled over to be closer to Jason. "But what about you? I mean, it's just your Dad now. What are you going to do?"
"It's been a really strange day," said Jason. "I did not expect to wake up & bury my mother today. I have to stay with him for a little while."
"I know," said Noah. "Take all the time you need."
It took some time to get used to the new set up, especially for Noah who had never lived in a full house before. He would often hide in the bedroom, used to being alone. Jason on the other hand, fitted right in, having come from a huge family. He was not looking forward to being stuck alone with his father any time soon but for the moment, it seemed the two of them had put aside their differences for now.
Devorah kept a close eye on the girls for the first few days & was rather surprised that Nehemiah didn't show any concern when she found out the boys made the same bed. He just shrugged it off, reminded her they only had interest in each other, had little interest in anything physical & even if they did, they couldn't get pregnant anyway, unlike the other two. Devorah gave up. But she still watched her two daughters who were beginning to behave even more oddly than usual.
By the end of March, Noah & Jason were able to continue some schooling through online classes that their school had set up with another school in Jerusalem. They were soon able to catch up but going home seemed even farther out of reach than before. All out war had broken out in several major cities by then. Tel Aviv was a virtual rubble heap & Haifa had finally been hit as well. Noah spent a lot of time in bomb shelters. Every time he came back out of one, the first two things he would do was call the prison to speak with his Dad & then check up on Aviv.
One day, they returned to Devorah's place to find that it had been hit. The damage was minimal, one wall broken down & a few windows blown but it was still a mess to clean up. The hole where most of the wall was gone had to be patched up immediately. Replacing it would be a luxury for some other time.
It was late in the evening by the time the place was suitable enough to live in once more. They all but collapsed in the living room for a well earned rest. But within a few moments, Devorah noticed that her daughters were absent. She got up to look for them & found them in their combined bedroom.
"What are you doing?" Devorah asked as she barged in on them. Both girls gasped & looked around, trying to shove something under their bed. "What is that?"
"It's—It's nothing," Nechamie stammered.
Devorah rolled her eyes, pushed them aside & pulled out something long, rectangular, black & velvety. She unfolded the sleek plush pile of fabric to find dark red strips made up of intricate roses going down, each petal thinly outlined with gold, & it had tassels mixing colors of a deep royal blue, white & also gold around the edge, though not completely. The black background glistened like obsidian. It had an almost Gothic allure about it. Glancing at the floor, she found sewing items & more tassels to be placed on the main piece of fabric. "Silk velvet. I've never seen anything like it. I know a few black ones exist but not like this unusual color scheme. This is a tallit gadol. Amazing work! Why are you hiding this?"
The girls glanced at each other before Gissel said, "Because you won't like who it's for."
"Well, who is it for then?"
More awkward silence. "We've been working on it for a while," Nechamie tried.
"Ariel's idea," Gissel said. "She started it, but nev—"
"Gissel!" Devorah cut her off. She narrowed her eyes, glaring at both of them. When they remained silent, she turned the shawl over in her hands. Feeling the unusual colors. Letting them tell the story. Blue. The ancient dye all tallits had & a color commanded in the Torah. White. Purity. Gold. Wealth, prosperity, but also passion & magic. Black. Soulless & death. Red. Blood. Dark Rose. Bold, yet mysterious. She let the thick sleek velvet slip from her fingers to the floor. "For Sylar?" Nechamie & Gissel looked away. "Why?" Devorah demanded. "He's not coming back for three hundred years."
"Because of Ariel!" Nechamie said again. "She started it. It was supposed to go to him when he is ready for it."
"Sylar will never be ready for something like this!" Devorah declared. "Tallits are a sacred thing. Used in prayer. You ever see him pray? He's an atheist!"
"Beliefs change," Gissel pointed out.
"You sound like Ariel," Devorah muttered.
"Ariel said he will need this one day," Nechamie said. "You know what she thought of him, right?"
"She was sleeping with him, you stupid girl!" Devorah snapped. "The thoughts she had of him do not belong in pretty silly heads like yours!"
Nechamie jumped up to her feet. "She thought he is the Messiah!"
"She's not the only one," Gissel added before Devorah could say anything. "We hear people talking about him in the streets. Even Shlomo had thought very highly of Rabbi Gray, or are you going to tell us he was sleeping with Sylar as well?"
"Who knows? Maybe," Devorah defended. "Now, enough of this foolishness."
"Foolishness?" Gissel scoffed. "Explain why Israel is just about done for in just barely a month then? The MOMENT Sylar was taken away, we were all in trouble!"
"Ask Noah," Nechamie added. "He says the same thing."
"What do I say?" Noah asked as he came into the room. Nehemiah & Jason were close behind. "We could hear you yelling at each other from downstairs."
"So long as your Dad was here, people were scared to attack Israel," Nechamie said.
"That is true," Noah agreed.
"That doesn't make him the Messiah," Devorah pointed out.
"Messiah?!" Noah exclaimed before laughing. "A lot of people been saying that about my Dad."
"See?" Nechamie & Gissel both said.
"Again, it doesn't make it true," Devorah pointed out.
"We try to stay out of religious debates," Noah said. "But we can't argue the fact that Israel is safer with him here."
All ducked as they heard planes fly over head. But no bombs were dropped. "I hope that was America flying in," Nehemiah said after a few minutes. "Regardless of who thinks what about him, we need him back & soon."
"Uncle Peter will never let him go before he serves his sentence," Noah said.
"Give it a little more time," said Nehemiah. "Peter might change his mind."
Noah slipped away first to finally make his calls while the two adults went back downstairs leaving the girls alone to finish what they were doing. Jason joined Noah in their bedroom & the pair were soon asleep.
It was the American Air force flying in & in a few days, some sense of order was brought into Jerusalem; though, a lot of restrictions remained in place. No one could go out after a certain time unless going to or coming from one of the shelters. Almost all businesses were still closed down or reduced to half their hours & no one had been to a synagogue, mosque or church since the initial attack.
The streets were safer to walk on but Noah ended up avoiding the main roads where the Americans were. They recognized him & it wasn't the same as with the Jewish nation. He looked a lot like his father & America had been Sylar's biggest bloodbath. When the American soldiers saw Noah coming, they would often stand up & group together, watching him, as if daring him to make a kill like his father did. Some would disappear altogether. Others just stared in disbelief that their greatest horror had spawned.
But regardless of the mistrust, Noah was glad America had shown up. They wasted no time sorting people out & began slowly opening the cities to start sending everyone home. People were sent home in groups, behind large escorts. It was a slow process with each group having a designated date for leaving. The Gatineau family had another week to wait but at least they were finally able to return home.
On the day of their departure, Nechamie & Gissel presented Noah with a dark blue velvet bag that had silver Hebrew writing on one side. "We just finished it," Nechamie said. "It's for your Dad."
"From Ariel," Gissel added. "She started it."
"It might be a while before I can get it to him," said Noah.
"We'll see," Nechamie said, stepping back so he could open the door of the truck the American military had sent. Once the escort had disappeared around the corner, she remarked to her sister, "Why do the cute ones always have to be gay in some way?"
The ride through the city was relatively without problem, though bombs & gunfire could be heard in the distance. They were stopped at the gate for a moment while their names were checked, causing a long pause at Noah Petrelli Bennet Gray. The officer peered into the vehicle for a moment. "Well, I'll be damned. Sylar's son? That's quite the name you got to live upto, boy."
"Mind your businesses." Nehemiah snapped. "You might be fighting along side him soon. He is an exceptional sniper for the IDF."
The American officer quickly pulled away & let them through. Noah, on the other hand, went cold all over. He hadn't even thought of it, but what if he was called to duty now that he was free of Jerusalem City? He leaned back against Jason, wondering what it would be like to be out in the middle of this war. What if he had to kill someone? Would it come to that? He was not Sylar. He had never killed anyone in his life & if he ever had to, it would be by long distance. They wouldn't even know they had been killed by the son of Sylar. They would just be a statistic of war.
The escort took them right through to Haifa on the outskirts. Jason woke Noah up & they all got out, stretching stiff muscles. Nehemiah rented a car & brought them to the Gatineau home. But once they had gone inside, it was like losing Tirzah all over again. She was everywhere in the house. Her spare shawl still on the chair. Her clothes in their, Nehemiah's now, room. Her scent. Her style of shiny colors decorating everything, mostly silver, as it was her favorite. The three of them ended up sitting on the back porch, having a few snacks to eat but barely touched them.
Nehemiah went to bed early so Noah took Jason out of the house. They got into the rental car with Noah driving & headed to the beach house after almost two months away from it. They spent about an hour at the house, making sure it was more or less the same since it had been left, then each took one car back, Jason in the rental & Noah with his Wraith.
Noah stayed with them for a few days, helping to get started on putting away Tirzah's things. They got rid of the rental car & used Noah's Wraith until Nehemiah & Jason could replace both their cars which had been lost in Jerusalem. Noah eventually drove to the other side of Haifa to a school friend who lived outside the city to get his dog back. Aviv growled at him before allowing Noah to pick him up.
"What?" Noah asked the dog. "I called every day. Did you not hear me?" Aviv just barked his disapproval. "He's lighter than usual." Noah held Aviv up to look the dog in the eyes. He could see a spot of white in each now. "I had hoped hearing my voice every day would help him. When Dad gave him to Mom, he disappeared for two weeks with no contact & stopped eating."
"He didn't eat much here either," said his friend. "The bombs here kept scaring him. He knew something was going on."
"Well, I better get him home & try to feed him some more," Noah put the dog in the back seat of the car. "Thanks for watching him, Shiva. Now, I owe you a ride in this, don't I?" He held the door to the front passenger side open. "Let's go. Dad said not to make a lady wait."
Shiva laughed as she got in. They drove around for an hour in the country before Noah dropped her off in her driveway. Aviv took the front seat where she had been as Noah pulled out onto the road. There was a bright flash behind him. The Wraith squealed to a stop. Noah whipped around in the seat to see through the back window just in time to watch Shiva's house collapse over her in a pile of exploding rubble.
"SHIVA!" Noah screamed though it was useless. Someone must have rigged her house while they were out & there was nothing left. Shiva was gone. The next moment, the back window shattered & a bullet hit Noah in the forehead. He just stared in surprise as the bullet basically bounced off him, his Regen healing too fast to even allow blood to drip. He had never been shot at before & never had been hit. Aviv barked at him as if to tell him to get moving already. Noah turned back to face the front & floored it.
Noah informed the school during the next online session which only lasted a few minutes. The school was closing down until further notice. Everything was on hold & if they could, someday in the future it would resume as normal & simply spill into summer to catch up. He was able to get the Wraith fixed a few days later. It was miraculously unharmed apart from the shattered back window which was easily cleaned out & replaced.
Now that he had Aviv back, Noah returned to the beach house so that the dog would feel at home where he belonged & hopefully start eating more again. He pulled away from Jason & Nehemiah for a bit, knowing they needed some time alone. They kept contact by phone & Jason excitedly called him one day. He was allowed to pursue his dream again once things settled down. Commander Tohar also kept in touch with Noah. He had been listed in the reserves & could be called out at any time.
Noah sat on the couch for almost an hour, processing that. Any day now, he could end up killing people. He called the prison anyway after deciding he shouldn't. Who better to talk to about killing people than Sylar, himself? Noah didn't tell him of his friend's house blowing up in front of him, or of getting shot already even if it didn't stick. Neither did he mention how American soldiers had watched him constantly. He kept a lot of things silent, knowing it would only frustrate Sylar who was stuck in a small cement box. He only talked a bit of Nehemiah & Jason, mentioned Jason was once more allowed to become a Rabbi, then after a long silence, he finally got to the whole point as to why he called. "So I might end up killing people in a few days," Noah explained.
"You're in one of the best militaries around," Sylar said. "In a country of constant unrest. It's bound to happen."
"I'm not you, Dad," Noah said. "I don't know how to kill someone."
"In your case, you just point & shoot."
"Dad!"
"Sorry," Sylar laughed softly to himself, away from the speaker so Noah couldn't hear. "Noah, I'm just a common murderer. Not a soldier. I never went to war, but I've been at the center of it when Ariel died. It's a different type of killing. One based on religion, ethnics. I can't understand that. I'm not antisemitic or racist. It was really strange for me, seeing people gunned down just for being different. I don't know if I can help you here. I'm just a killer."
"Do you think you will get to come home soon?" Noah asked. "It would all go away if you were here."
"If Peter has his way, I'm stuck here forever," Sylar scoffed. He stood up & paced a few times before returning to the speaker. "Noah, if it comes to it, you just close yourself off. Close your eyes & pull that trigger. Just remember whoever you kill would gladly do the same to you or Jason. Look what they did to Tirzah. Not to mention what they do to a lot of the women before killing them. Just think of hunting an animal. Shoot it down."
"I really hope it's as simple as you make it out to be," said Noah.
"War is not simple."
Noah went to sleep that night in his father's bed. Aviv curled up like a giant cashew beside him on the next pillow & snored in his ear. The dog had been unusually clingy, even going so far as to join Noah in the shower & just sat there staring at him. During the day, Noah noticed that Aviv still wasn't eating much, so for the next few days, he focused on getting the dog back into a routine in the hopes that Aviv will calm down & go back to normal soon. They stretched out on the couch in the evening to watch a movie. Noah didn't dare look at the TV as it was constant live stream of what was going on & he was taking this one day off. Aviv soon abandoned him to go bark at the door.
"Hang on, I'm coming," Noah grumbled as Aviv barked more incessantly. He opened the door, expecting to let the dog out for a run, only to find several people waiting for him. "Rabbi Meltzer? What are you doing here?" He glanced over the others, noticing they were all of Sylar's Kabbalah group.
"We want to talk to you about something," Yacov began. "May we come in?"
"Uh, yes," Noah gently kicked Aviv aside out of the way. "Of course."
Everyone filed into the living room. Some sat down on the couch while the others stood behind it. Yakov turned to Noah. "We are going to get your Dad back."
"How?" Noah stared at him. "He is under heavy guard & Uncle Peter has as many powers as he does."
"That's why we are all going," Yacov said. "It took us a while to get out of Haifa. They still have curfews in the bigger cities. So we slowly started leaving & stayed with someone in the country."
"We need to know where Rabbi Gray is being held," Jessica said. "Do you have any idea?"
"New York City," said Noah. "But how do you intend to get to America? The airports aren't open except for military personnel."
"Only in Israel," Raphael said. "We leaving the country by ground & then fly out. That's where we kind of need your help."
"Mine?"
"You can drive us near to the border," Yacov said.
"My Wraith is way too noticeable."
"We know," said Yacov. "You can use one of our cars. We only intend to use two. We hope to leave the rest here as if visiting. You will be driving back with my car & then you stay here & if anyone asks, you can say we just gathering for a Kabbalah visit."
"I came here by boat," Raphael said. "Parked it way out in the bay, far away & then used a life boat to get to shore. You can say we're on that."
"I highly doubt anyone will come here, anyway," said Yacov. "You're way out in the country by the beach. We only intend to be gone a day or two. When we come back, we hope to have your father with us so it won't matter any more if people find out. It will be too late for them."
"You really think you can defeat Peter?" Noah asked.
"My distortion wave alone can defeat him," said Yacov. "I can hold off your Dad just fine with it, I can certainly throw off Peter."
"Once we get your Dad back," Jessica added. "He can help us handle Peter."
"I bet he'll love that," Noah laughed.
"First things first," Jessica went on. "We need to pinpoint his location. If you call him & keep him talking for a bit, I can figure out where he is & then we'll go."
Noah looked them all over. He knew this was crazy but Israel needed Sylar back. Three hundred years was too long. He felt like he was looking at a group of witches & wizards as if rescuing Harry Potter from the Dursleys. He suddenly realized this was exactly what was happening. He grabbed his phone & called the prison. Noah tried to keep his voice as even as possible, talking about random things, how Aviv was doing & perhaps Jason will come by later.
Jessica worked furiously on the computer with Raphael for several minutes. Noah was beginning to run out of stuff to say. Aviv barked & Noah used that as an excuse to put his father on hold to check on the dog & try to keep calm.
When he got back on the phone, the first thing Sylar asked was, "Alright Noah, what's really going on?"
Noah hoped & prayed & begged every God & Goddess that either Sylar's lie detection could not work over seas, or if it did, he would have the good sense to shut up about it. "Nothing, just tired," Noah sighed.
"You're too far for my lie detection," Sylar began & Noah almost collapsed with relief. "But I know something's up. Your voice is off."
"Yeah," Noah tried again. "Tired. So. I can lie to you over the phone, then?" He suddenly asked.
"Shut up," Sylar muttered. "I will eventually find out about it. You should go to bed then, if you're tired."
"I will soon," Noah said. "It's my birthday next week. I kind of miss you."
"Noah," Sylar leaned against the wall. "I would give anything to be back with you. I know we have stuff to work out. Some day. This won't be forever."
"I know," Noah glanced around to check on Jessica & Raphael. Jessica suddenly shrieked & clapped her hands once. She glanced at Noah & nodded. They got the location!
"What was that?" Sylar demanded.
"Nothing. Aviv. Maybe," Noah replied much too fast. "I'm going to bed. Good night!" He hung up quickly.
"Noah, NO!" Sylar glared at the speaker that had fallen silent. Something was definitely up.
"Alright," Raphael slapped the laptop closed. "Let's go."
"Where are we going?" Jason asked as he came in.
"What are you doing here?" Noah asked in surprise.
"I texted you earlier, saying I was coming over for the night," Jason pointed out.
Noah checked his phone. "Oh, uh, I was talking to Dad. We're busting him out."
"What?"
Noah explained it to him. "All I do is drop them off at the border, then come here & pretend they went out in the bay if anyone asks."
"Alright, we'll each take one of their cars & bring both back," Jason said.
"You're not coming!" Noah exclaimed.
"You have no choice," Jason said. "If you're using two cars to get to the border, leaving one behind will be suspicious. They don't need cars to get back since your Dad can teleport. So we both go & bring both cars back home."
"You're right," Noah gave up. "Get everyone into the cars. I'll take care of Aviv & then we leave." He picked up the dog to stop him from running out the front door as others hurried to the two chosen vehicles. Once Aviv was set up with plenty of food & water, Noah ran upstairs to grab the velvet bag from under Sylar's bed. He lay half under the bed for a moment before grabbing the old gold gun as well. After checking it, he was both surprised & shocked to find it was fully loaded. Sylar meant business!
Noah got into the car with Jessica driving it. "We already have an obscure route picked out," Jessica said.
Noah handed her the bag. "Make sure my Dad gets this." Jessica put the strap over her head to rest on her shoulder & started the car.
They drove late into the night, using back roads & a few times went off road right across the desert. As they got closer to the border, they stayed off road more often, driving through sand & over dunes. They circumvented Nazareth on the right & later, Tiberius on the left, missing the main roads towards both towns. In a small dark plain close to where three countries, Israel, Jordan & Syria, met at the corner, both cars finally stopped & unloaded. The rest would have to be on foot over the hills since Israel was shut down.
Jason stayed behind with the cars while Noah followed the others into the hills & watched them cross over into Jordan, narrowly missing the land of Syria. They were to meet with someone from another Kabbalist group there to fly out to America. Noah returned to the cars where Jason was waiting for him.
Bombs & gunfire could be heard in the distance. They were to drive nonstop straight back to Noah's house but the problem was, it had already been a long drive one way, not to mention stressful, dodging warzones. Noah could press on easily due to his power but Jason was a mortal being & he was looking quite tired.
"You should rest for a bit," Noah said. "Just an hour. No one is here in this dusty dark plain."
"We're too close to Syria & the Golan Heights," Jason pointed out. "We can not only hear but also see some of the fighting going on if we go on the ridge behind us. I checked it out while you were gone. We need to leave. Now."
"You think you can drive all the way back to Haifa?"
"Do we have a choice?" Jason opened the driver's door on his car. "I hope they get your Dad back."
"It's upto them, now," Noah went towards his car. "You drive in front so I can keep an eye on you." He glanced up to see a small plane take off. Well, more like heard it as they kept the lights off until well out of sight. "If they make it to the ocean, they'll be fine."
The plane flew low over the mountains, rising up as they headed towards the ocean. Two jets came up on either side. "Americans," the pilot said. "I got some friends there who owed me some favors. Said I need to get across to the Atlantic Ocean. They'll guard us."
Yacov couldn't help but laugh. "I take it you didn't tell them we're going to free their worst enemy then."
"All they know is I need to get across Israel," the pilot returned. "But Sylar isn't their enemy since they are fighting for Israel. He'll be their best weapon."
"Let's hope they understand that," Yacov replied.
The American jets could be felt rumbling through the walls of their own dark plane. It was a while before the jets spun off & minimal light came on. It was a strange feeling leaving the war behind, having nothing but the world's biggest ocean under them for the next several hours. The flight was quickly becoming uncomfortable, being cramped in a small area without the luxury of a Boeing.
It was late afternoon when the small plane touched down in New York City. Lots of disgruntled complaints & stretching happened as the group spilled out onto the tarmac. Once used to standing again, they went through customs rather easily since the only thing anyone brought was what they were wearing, their wallets & the velvet bag Noah had given Jessica.
Soon, everyone stepped out of the airport into the city itself. Several looked around in awe, most having never set foot outside of Israel. "Alright, this is a rescue mission, not a tour," Yacov reminded them.
"This is the city he lived in!" Merida exclaimed.
"Yeah, you DO remember how many people died here because of him, right?" Yakov pointed out. "He had no control of his powers until Shlomo took care of him." He rolled his eyes. "Jessica, where are those coordinates?"
"Right here," She rolled up her sleeve to reveal where she had written them in light blue Sharpie ink on her black arm.
"Ok first thing we need to do is find Peter," Yacov said. "I'll keep him busy with my distortion. The rest of you can combine powers & get Gabriel out."
"That's easy," Jessica pulled out her phone. "I'll just get Noah to talk to Peter & ask him where he is." They waited about ten minutes for a reply. "Oh," Jessica stared at the screen. "Peter is with Rabbi Gray right now. His turn to watch him."
"That's perfect," Yacov said. "Let's go!"
They made their way to an abandoned apartment building. The main entrance doors had yellow caution tape hanging in tatters. Yacov pushed them open & let everyone through. It had been gutted inside with no floors or stairs going up any more. Only a few large pillars & partitions remained. After several minutes of searching for any door besides the one they had just used to get in, they gathered near the center of the cement floor. "There's nothing here," Raphael said.
"But this is the place we tracked down," Jessica said.
They glanced around at hearing the doors bang. Someone was coming in. Everyone quickly scattered as quietly as possible, hiding behind the bones of the building. A black man walked to the far left corner & leaned over to pull a loose brick out of the floor. He put his hand into the hole & tapped on something. Jessica focused on listening to him thinking the code. A trap door sprang up & the man disappeared. A few seconds later, it closed down behind him, smoothing into the cement around it with the same uniform color. Jessica pulled out a pen & wrote what she heard on her other arm.
"I think that was Micah," Raphael whispered as everyone slowly came out of hiding. "He can tell machines what to do."
"We might need him then to open the cell down there," Yacov said. He looked at Jessica. "You got the code?"
"I think so," Jessica hurried over to the small rectangular hole in the ground. She bent down to start tapping but the thing sprang open before she could do anything & out came Peter.
"Is there something I can do for you, Ma'am?" Peter stood on the top stair, blocking the way down. Jessica was absolutely mortified & was unable to speak. "It's alright," Peter tried again. "I'm not going to hurt you, but you really shouldn't be lurking in dark abandoned places. You could run into a killer." Jessica heard the unspoken thought. Peter had thought himself rather clever, since Sylar was literally just below him.
/Telepathic, are you?/ Peter instantly pushed into her mind. Jessica yelped & stepped back, pressing her hands to her head. "I am sorry!" Peter moved towards her & put a hand on her shoulder. "Yours is different from mine. I got mine off Matt Parkman." With his own telekinetic force, Peter pushed Jessica back towards the wall. "You're one of his, aren't you?" Peter went on. "A Jewish girl from his Kabbalah group." He pressed her against the wall without touching her. "You're a bit far from home & I highly doubt you came alone." He looked around. "Hello, Yacov. I remember you."
Yacov rolled his eyes. Next moment, Peter was flung backwards & let go of Jessica as the distortion wave hit him at almost point blank. "I got him," Yacov said. "Go now!"
Jessica threw herself down the stairs, sliding down on her front, bumping along before Peter had a chance to right himself or grab her again. She landed on the next level down & in front of a door. Raphael, Merida & a few others soon joined her. They could hear Yacov & Peter above them.
"What are you doing?" Peter demanded.
"We need Gabriel back! Now!"
"You can't," Peter tried to stand. The distortion wave was still on him & any power he tried ended up hitting walls. He stopped when his electric bolt cut down a pillar before he ended up causing the place to collapse. "Just let me take care of him. Please."
"Israel won't last another week, let alone three centuries," Yacov said. "Have you seen what's been happening to my country?"
"Yes," Peter finally managed to stand up. "Of course. I hate it but America is there now. Canada. A few others. They are helping you."
"They are dying for us," Yacov replied coldly. "Uselessly & it's your fault."
"America is trying to help you," Peter said. "It's not America's fault!"
"I didn't say America!" Yacov snapped. "I said YOURS! Peter! You took him away from us. You & the blonde witch are responsible for exposing magic to everyone. Both of you have sorely misused your gift to the point where it is destroying both our counties & dragging others into it. Our enemies have acquired abilities now, all thanks to you. The Allies can't fight that. But Gabriel can!"
Peter tried to speak as calmly as possible. "I think you are putting too much faith in one man."
"You really don't get it, do you?" Yacov shoved Peter back with his distortion wave. "Gabriel isn't just another guy. He is very special to us!"
Jessica threw open the door & stepped aside, letting Raphael & the four other guys charge in to pounce on Micah who had stood up in surprise. Next moment, he was on the ground under a pile like in a foot ball game. The others filed in afterwards while Jessica ran down three more flights of stairs & came out onto a bridge crossing the underground water. She hurried across it to the hall in front of the multi-paned window.
"Rabbi!" Jessica threw herself on the glass, hands up to prevent her face smashing it.
Sylar got off the bed & went as close to her as possible. "What took you guys so long?"
Jessica looked down on him. "Israel is almost done for." Sylar could only stare at her. "Didn't Peter tell you anything?"
"Why would he?"
"Good point," Jessica looked to her right. She went to the door.
"Wait, don't open it yet," Sylar stopped her. "This mist is a drug. Makes people sluggish. You won't be able to use your power if it gets out. Turn it off, first."
Jessica moved back to the window. "How?"
"There's a lever here but to shut it off completely, you're better off at the control room so no one else can turn it on again."
Jessica pulled the bag off over her head. "This is for you. Ariel had started it a long time ago." She placed it into the slot for the meal trays & pushed the button to slide it in.
"Ariel made something for me?" Sylar picked up the velvety bag.
"She started it, but Nechamie & Gissel had to finish it," said Jessica. "I'll get this mist turned off."
Sylar turned the bag over in his hands to find the Hebrew writing on it: 'Jehovah's Glory'. He knew some sects of the faith proclaimed the name while others kept it silent & some went so far as to put a line in place of the middle letter in the word god. He opened it up & pulled out the black folded material. It looked like a blanket but when it fell open, Sylar's eyes went wide as he stared at it for a long moment.
The power suddenly shut down & everything went black for a moment before the dim emergency lights came on. A soft hiss told Sylar that the door was now unlocked. He put the soft strap over his head & let the empty bag rest by his hip & then sat down cross-legged on the floor for a few minutes, holding the black shawl in his lap. The white steam slowly faded. His head cleared soon after the mist disappeared. His first thought was to go after Peter but he knew there was no time for that right now. Deal with Peter later! He could hear fighting going on close by.
Sylar stood up, swung the shawl around over his shoulders & pulled the edge up to cover his head. The door opened as if nothing had touched it. He marched out into the hall & headed for the bridge to find two more of his group trying to hold off Micah who had come to try closing Sylar into the cell. At the sight of Sylar coming towards them, Micah gave up & tried to step back. Sylar latched onto him by force, tipped Micah over into the water below & let him swim to the edge.
Micah found the ladder & pulled himself up, looking for all the world like a disgruntled soaking cat. "You won't get away with this, Sylar!"
"I already have." Sylar's next move was to grab Raphael & his friend to teleport them into his own home back in Israel. He went back to the bridge, having seen it quite clearly in his mind now & was able to go back to it. He ended up between Micah & Jessica.
"Sylar," Micah held up his phone. "Don't."
Sylar had no clue what Micah was going to do but Jessica was looking upwards. She suddenly shoved Sylar forward. "Rabbi, look out!"
Something came crashing down, knocking Jessica over. It was a cage to trap Sylar & a wire had connected it to a machine. Sylar straightened up & glared at Micah. "My entire Kabbalah is here, isn't it?" He latched onto Micah's phone by force & flipped it over into the water below. "You really think you can defeat them? It's just you & Peter." Another shove of force power & Micah was thrown all the way back into the hall & through the door to land in the cell. He leaned over to check on Jessica but something hit him from the side & Sylar went down hard.
"Gabriel, what are you doing?" Peter stood over him.
Sylar saw Yacov stumble in behind Peter. They shared a silent look before both hit Peter at the same time. Yacov turned on his distortion wave once more, focusing it on Peter so Sylar could use his own force power to grab Peter & throw him down the hall after Micah.
"Sorry, Rabbi," Yacov leaned over, panting. "I was getting tired. He is quite strong."
"I know," Sylar looked over the railing again. "Jessica's down there. Why hasn't she come up yet?"
"What?" Yacov was beside Sylar in an instant. "She can't swim!"
Sylar flung his force power down into the water, shoving the broken cage aside. He pushed around to find her & pulled her body up. Jessica didn't move as he took her into his arms & laid her on the bridge. She wasn't breathing. Sylar felt her neck for any pulse. Peter had righted himself & came back by the time Jessica had been pulled from the water. Sylar sat back on his heels, kneeling beside her & pushed the covering down to his shoulders. He looked at Peter. "You're the only one who can save her right now. Even if either of us put our blood in her, she needs that water out of her lungs, first." Peter nodded & moved towards them.
"Rabbi, what are you doing?" Yacov demanded.
"Peter was a paramedic a long time ago," Sylar told him. "He can fix Jessica." He got up & pulled Yacov away.
"Let's get her upstairs," Peter grabbed Jessica & teleported into the office & quickly went to work on her. While the others fell silent, watching in concern as Peter compressed Jessica's chest & alternated with breaths, Sylar moved away to the computer. He looked over what was going on Israel. A loud gasp & choking made him look around just in time to see Peter stab Jessica with a needle & pushed in a vial of blood. "That's to prevent any brain damage," Peter told her. "You were out for a while." Jessica merely nodded, putting a hand to her forehead. "You'll feel lightheaded for a bit. It will clear up soon." Peter stood up. Next moment, he was punched so hard, he was flung back & hit the wall.
"That was for letting Israel go to hell," Sylar snapped. "Do I ever have a mess to clean up!" He nodded to the others who quickly clustered around him. Peter threw himself forward at Sylar's feet & grabbed the hem of the black tallit just as everyone disappeared.