Ryan smiled. "You need anything? A glass of water…?" He turned to face Sylar.

Sylar raised an eyebrow.

Ryan shrugged. "It helps after you've been shot." He replied, gesturing to Sylar's shirt, which was covered in bullet holes and blood.

"I'm fine." Sylar replied, looking at the pictures hanging on the wall. He pointed to one. "You?"

Ryan nodded. "With my brothers and sister, yes."

The other eyebrow shot up. "I see none of them are any older than they are now."

Ryan smiled. "Just because I know if they make it to adulthood, doesn't mean everyone else needs to know."

Sylar lifted a picture, let it hover in front of his face for a moment, then set it down. "I suppose…"

"Of course, no one can kill me." Ryan continued. "So you can see pictures of me ageing, just not my siblings. Because it's quite possible you will kill them when the Red Dawn comes."

"So it's not hopeless?"

"Of course not!" Ryan snapped, almost angry. "You really believe it's hopeless? Please." He rolled his eyes.

"Whose side are you on?" Sylar demanded, confused as to why Ryan was seemingly supporting him in his desperation to kill his siblings.

"Their side, of course. But you have to understand. The Red Dawn includes all of you. If you give up, neither of the two possible futures could exist." He sighed. "I suppose you'll have to figure it out for yourself."

"Apparently."

For a while, no one spoke. Finally, Ryan looked at him. "Are you sure you don't want anything? Seriously, it really helps to have some water after you've just been shot. I would know."

Sylar looked at him, still slightly thrown off by how calm Ryan was about everything. "Do you even know why I'm here?" He demanded at last.

"Of course! But just because you want to take my ability, doesn't mean I have to be rude." He snorted. "It's not like you can kill me. I doubt it will even hurt."

Sylar looked at him, confusion plain on his face. "You could kill me with one touch. Why don't you?"

"I can?" Ryan's eyes widened in shock, then settled down as he remembered. "Oh, yes. You're right, of course. I haven't thought about that in years. Not since I had that fight with Samuel. In fact, but my calculations, that should be happening right about…" he looked at his watch, then at his calendar then back to his watch. He frowned. "Now. That's odd." He looked back to Sylar. "But what would be the point, anyway? If I killed you, you'd just heal and come back to life again."

Despite his efforts to keep his face blank, Sylar's eyes were wide. "You're not going to try and fight me about this? At all?"

"Fight you? Are you serious? I'd lose!" Ryan laughed. "My ability, for the most part, is purely defensive. I'm useless without my family. Now, if I was a teleporter, or a speedster, or even radioactive, I might have a chance. As it is, I'm hardly able to fight anyone, let alone you."

Sylar looked at him for a long time, and the silence stretched on.

Minutes later, Ryan was lying down on the floor. Sylar was sitting down next to his head, looking for the information he needed about Ryan's ability.

"You don't seem to have many questions." Sylar said at last.

"What questions would I have?"

"I don't know." Sylar admitted. "I just can't help remembering a certain cheerleader who wouldn't shut up."

Ryan laughed. "Claire?"

"Who else?"

Ryan continued to smile. "Her version of the story is slightly different."

"Of course." Sylar snorted. He kept looking.

Ryan sighed. "How long will this take? I have to be somewhere soon, and they'll get worried if I'm not there."

"That depends." Sylar replied.

"On…?"

"On how long it takes for me to find what I need."

Ryan sighed again. "And, normally, how long does that take."

Sylar thought for a moment. "Not long. Half an hour, maybe?"

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. That gives me time to change this shirt, which you so tastefully ruined." He lifted his head to look at the blood-soaked shirt.

Sylar pushed his head back down. "Hold still."

Ryan obeyed with a sarcastic, "Yes sir."

Sylar smiled. He was beginning to like Ryan. He was fearless, impossible to phase.

The silence stretched on.

"Found it yet?"

"No."

Ryan sighed. Silence again, and then, "So… I'm curious."

Sylar sighed theatrically. "Here we go with the questions."

Ryan grinned. "Just one, actually. Why didn't you aim for the slightly… younger version of me?"

"Because little kids panic too easily. Besides, he has Samuel protecting him."

"Makes sense. And the other one? The one that's a few years younger?"

Sylar rolled his eyes. "He'd put up too much of a fight."

"So you knew how I'd react?"

"No. But I figured it wouldn't be quite as violent as a version of you who was just in an argument."

"Fair point. But how did you know I was in an argument."

"You told me."

Ryan grinned. "You didn't know there were three versions of me out there, did you? You thought it was just me and the kid."

Sylar sighed. "Yes."

"You're not as informed as you'd like to think."

"Perhaps." He was starting to get a little irritated. "But that doesn't matter."

Ryan tried to shrug, which didn't work too well. "You're right. It doesn't. You know enough for the Red Dawn to happen."

"So that's what this is about."

"Of course." Ryan snorted. "What else? The Red Dawn means everything at this point."

"So what is it?"

"The Red Dawn?" Ryan thought about that for a moment. "You're not just here for the ability, I take it."

"Of course not."

Ryan sighed. "Very well. I'll tell you everything I can. After you've finished."

Sylar sighed and continued to look.

Finally, he sat up. "Done."

Ryan tried to sit up quickly, but the color drained from his face. He fell back. "Dizzy."

"Blood loss will do that to a person." Sylar replied as he walked over to the sink, washing Ryan's blood down the drain.

Ryan sat still for a moment, then sat up. His face was still pale, but he was able to stand after a few seconds. He shook his head. "That's better." He walked to the other room and closed the door. When he came back, he was wearing a new shirt, which held considerably less blood. Sylar had finished washing his hands, though crimson still stained the sink.

"You might want to bleach that." He told Ryan.

Ryan nodded. "Are you sure you don't want any water? It really helps."

"No."

Ryan tossed the glass towards him anyway. Reflexively, Sylar caught it telekinetically. Ryan looked at him with one eyebrow raised.

Finally, Sylar sighed and brought the glass towards him, mumbling a quick "Thanks" Before drinking it.

Ryan smiled. "Better?"

"No." Sylar lied.

Ryan's smile stretched into a grin. "Really? It always works for me. Gets rid of that metallic taste in the back of your throat." His face twisted in disgust just remembering.

Sylar looked at him. "You were going to tell me about the Red Dawn." He said, ending further conversation about anything else.

Ryan nodded. "Oh, fine. If you want to be impatient." He sat down, and motioned for Sylar to do the same in the chair across from him. Sylar obeyed.

Ryan cleared his throat. "The Red Dawn is one person's point of view. Only that person will know when the Red Dawn comes."

"And that person is…?"

"Tyler."

Sylar raised an eyebrow. "The speedster?"

Ryan nodded. "The very same."

Sylar sighed and motioned for him to continue.

"Now. The Red Dawn is a collision. It's where two possible futures meet, and a series of choices will decide the outcome. Every single choice will create a different part of the future. It's a very delicate part in history, and it's very easy to create the worst possible future."

"And what are the choices?"

"That you have to find out."

Sylar sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "And the two possible futures?"

"The two main possible futures." Ryan corrected. "Either you kill the entire family, and take their abilities…"

Sylar smiled softly. "Or…?"

"Or they discover who they are, and they become the most powerful heroes the worlds have ever known."

Sylar paled. "And what will happen to me?"

"You will have no chance at taking their abilities. If you are not killed…"

"Killed?" Sylar demanded.

"It's one of the choices that must be made. Part of that certain future."

Sylar sighed. "So if I don't kill them... I die?"

Ryan shook his head quickly. "No. that is only one possible outcome. Most likely, you'll be fine, just without any more abilities."

Sylar looked at him for a long time. "And what else? When will it happen?"

Ryan raised his hand, cutting Sylar off. "I'm sorry. There's nothing more I can tell you. That's it."

Sylar's eyes locked on Ryan's, and there was silence for a long time. Finally, he stood up.

"Goodbye, Ryan."

"Goodbye, Sylar."

And Sylar left without another word.