Peter shoved his hands deep in his pockets and smirked. Hiro was babbling on behind him with animated hand motions and interjections of Japanese about some ancient swordsman who exited over a thousand years ago.

Peter feigned interest as they climbed up another flight of stairs to Mohinder’s flat, raising his eyebrows at the small man.

“And his sword, now my sword!” Hiro swung the ancient sword that was held on his back around so he could show it to Peter. Peter smiled appreciatively and nodded, continuing on up the stairs.

“That’s really great Hiro, I’m glad you found the sword.”

Hiro smiled happily and trudged behind Peter. After a moment, he could no longer remain silent. “So, why are we going to see Professor-man? He was good in the future.”

Peter closed his eyes for a moment, willing patience, and scratched at the base of his neck. “We are going to see Mohinder because I need to know if he’s found any others. I need to know if there’s any one else I need to save.”

“Save the cheerleader, save the world.” Hiro supplied knowingly.

Peter nodded and moved up the last flight of stairs. “Exactly.” He muttered. He was about to knock on Mohinder’s door when an onslaught of thoughts invaded his mid. He closed his eyes tightly and clutched his head.

-He isn’t going to take her-

-Who is that? Why is Mohinder so-

-How did he get in? How didn’t I-

-How did he know my na-

-Oh God, Sylar.

Peter blinked his eyes open and looked at the door with wide eyes. Hiro was about to speak but Peter firmly clapped his hand over his mouth and pulled him to the space next to the door clad in shadows.

He removed his hand slowly. “Sylar is in there. He has Mohinder. And Mohinder is with some girl. I don’t recognize her voice but I think she may be special, like us.”

Hiro’s eyes widened. “Sy-“

Peter clapped his hand over Hiro’s mouth again and motioned with his hand to be quiet. Peter leaned his head forward and carefully pressed his ear against the door.

“I think it is James? Joe? John?”

“Jim?”

“Exactly. Thank you.”

“Why are you telling us this? If you wanted him so bad, then why aren’t you there now?”

“I have other means of acquiring what I need. Why travel when I can have it brought to me? Sort of like delivery pizza. We’ll just wait.”

Peter leaned away from the door and turned back to Hiro.

“Sylar is having someone brought to him. Someone like us.”

Hiro squinted his eyes in confusion. “How?”

“I’m not sure. But we have to get Mohinder and the girl out of there. And we can’t let Sylar get the man he wants either. So we have to wait until the other person gets in there, and then we go in.”

Hiro nodded his affirmation and then looked confused again. “Is there plan?”

Peter sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. “I’m working on it.”

-

Pam sat in a straight back wooden chair, twisting her hands in her lap anxiously, watching Sylar drum his hands on the desktop lightly. She bit her lip and looked down, then looked up again.

“What are you going to do with him?” She asked in a shaky voice. Sylar looked up, as if he were surprised she was addressing him. He gave a smile.

“Cut open his head. Take out his brain. Get his power. You know,” He winked. “The usual.”

Pam’s vision clouded with tears and she looked down as they overwhelmed her. Her shoulders began to shake uncontrollably and she felt the familiar heat beginning to flow through her body. She tensed. She couldn’t let this happen, not now.

She forced other thoughts to flow through her brain. She thought of grilled cheese and his smile with coke cans. But each individual thought was interrupted by an imagined image of Jim lying on the floor, his eyes lifeless and cold, blood pooling around his head.

She opened her eyes just as a burst of flames shot from her hand and hit the leg of the desk Sylar was sitting at. He jumped up quickly and looked down at the smoldering wood. He waved his hand and it abruptly went out. He looked up to see Mohinder looking with wide eyes at where the fire had been and Pam looking with wide eyes at him.

“I may just have to revise my decision on only gaining one power.” He raised his hand and pointed a finger directly at her. She shut her eyes tightly as a ringing began to fill the room. She could barely hear Mohinder’s muffled yell through the ringing. It was around in, in her, driving her crazy. A sharp pain etched itself in her forehead and she cried out.

“I’m here master.” Sylar immediately dropped his hand and Pam fell forward, breathing heavily. She felt Mohinder’s hand on her shoulder and she looked up. His deep brown amber eyes were piercing hers. He wiped his hand across her forehead above her right eye and pulled away with crimson staining his fingers.

“How many times have I told you, do not call me master. I am not some Sith lord.” Came Sylar’s disgruntled voice from across the room. Pam looked up and felt her eyes widen.

There was Dwight, with Jim standing in front of him. But Jim didn’t seem like Jim at all. His eyes were empty and his face emotionless. And Dwight? What the hell was Dwight doing with-

And then it hit her. Pam let out a small gasp of surprise. Dwight was Sylar’s way. Dwight was his way of acquiring people. Dwight brought Jim to Sylar so Jim could be killed.

Sylar smiled in appreciation. “Undo him please.”

Dwight nodded and stepped in front of Jim again, looking him in the eye. Pam saw his eyes flash a bright white and then Jim’s head snapped back. He looked at Dwight.

“Seriously man? What the-“

He stopped as he saw Sylar standing next to Dwight. His face contorted in confusion and he looked around the room. He took in the crowded study with open eyes and then his head turned towards Pam.

He took in the blood dripping down the side of her face and her tear covered cheeks. He took in Mohinder crouched by her side, his body half in front of hers, a sad attempt at protection.

“Pam?” He mustered in a half whisper.

He took a step towards her but Dwight’s arm stopped him. Jim turned and looked at him.

“Let go of me.”

Dwight just tightened his grip. Jim’s eyes turned hard.

“Pam’s hurt.”

Dwight’s eyes didn’t leave Jim’s. Jim looked past Dwight to Sylar who was looking at him with a smug smile on his face.

“Could you go help her please, she’s bleeding.”

Sylar let out a loud laugh soon joined by Dwight’s forced one. Sylar stopped abruptly, giving Dwight a stern glance. Dwight reddened slightly and looked down.

Jim attempted to maneuver out of Dwight’s grip again but Dwight held tighter.

“Dwight seriously, Pam is hurt, let me go.”

“You can’t tell me what to do, Jim. Not here. Here, I am assistant dark lord.”

“Assistant to the dark lord.” Pam managed from the side of the room, leaning up slightly. Dwight cast her a furious glance as Sylar let out a sigh behind him.

“I am not a dark lord. How many times must I say this to you?”

“Yes, master.”

Sylar’s face contorted and for a minute it looked as if he were going to rip off Dwight’s head, take out his brain, and laugh manically. But he merely let out a small sigh and pushed him out of the way and faced Jim.

Jim looked completely bewildered, his eyes wide in confusion and jaw slack.

“What is going on?”

“You have a gift.”

“I have a what?”

“A gift. A power. You can do things. Good God, why do I even bother in explanations when I can just-“

He lifted his hand up to Jim’s forehead but Pam scrambled up from her position on the other side of the room and hastily placed herself in front of Jim. She stumbled slightly and Jim immediately put his hands on her hips to keep her up.

“Wait.” She said breathlessly. “Before they got here, you were going to take me. And you said you could settle with just one power. So do it. Take mine. Let him go.”

Mohinder was about to stand up himself when he felt a strong arm on his shoulder, pushing him down. He was about to open his mouth but he felt a hand snake around and cover his mouth. A recognizable voice leaned close to his ear.

“Don’t move. Don’t say a word. Me and Hiro are right behind you. Get to those two and make contact, and Hiro will teleport us out of here.”

Sylar looked at Pam situated in front of Jim, Jim’s hand on her waist and face full of confusion.

“I don’t understand. What are you guys talking about? Pam, what is he taking from you?”

Sylar looked Pam straight in the eye and it took all her courage to remain eye contact. He smiled slowly and raised his hand.

“As you wish.”

Pam closed her eyes tightly as the ringing filled her ears again. She could feel Jim’s hands tighten on her waist and his muffled yells this time, instead of Mohinder’s. And then she felt a dull pain in her side, a moment of weightlessness, and then a sharp pain in her knees.

She opened her eyes and looked down at an asphalt ground, her head spinning.

“Wha-“

She fell forward, her palms on the ground, her forehead breaking into a sweat. Her breathing began to come in pants. She fell to the side and rolled over so that she was on her back. Immediately, Jim’s face was over hers, his eyebrows knit in concern. And then Mohinder’s swam in her vision and then a strange man she never saw before and a Japanese man with spiked up hair.

She closed her eyes as heat wave after heat wave plagued her body.

“She’s losing control.” She heard the strange man say.

“What, what does that mean? What’s going on?” Came Jim’s frantic voice.

“Lady, calm down.” Short, barely coherent sentences by a high pitched accented voice.

“Pam, you need to relax. Check your emotions. We are safe now. Just calm down.”

“She isn’t calming down, she’s getting worse. See how her face is growing in color. What’s her power?”

“Fire.”

“Wait! Just wait! What’s going on? Why is she-“

“She needs to cool down. Jim, use your power.”

Jim looked up from Pam’s unconscious form and looked across her body at Mohinder.

“What? What power?”

His head was spinning. He was sitting in a parking lot of some unknown town with three people he didn’t know and the unconscious form of Pam while mere moments ago he was standing in a boarded up, cluttered study in front of another strange man and Dwight who had somehow managed to get him there without him knowing. And now he had a power?

Mohinder closed his eyes in frustration. He had no time. She had no time. “In my apartment. When you first saw Pam and she was bleeding, I noticed your hands. They turned blue for a mere fraction of time and the room went suddenly cold for the briefest of moments. Powers relate directly to emotions. Now, I know you have a connection with Pam from what I’ve seen of you two. If she is fire, and you are ice, you can cool her down. Use your power.”

Peter looked up at Jim, his hands cupping the side of Pam’s face. “She’s burning up. You have to do it now.”

“I don’t understand. Do what? I don’t have a power!”

Mohinder reached forward and took Jim’s hands and placed them where Peter’s hands were moment’s before, cupping her face.

“Close your eyes.” He commanded. “And save her life.”