"Powerless" is the 11th and final episode of the second season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and thirty-fourth episode overall. It was written by co-executive producer Jeph Loeb and directed by executive producer Allan Arkush. The episode aired on December 3, 2007, as the conclusion of the "Volume 2: Generations" storyline. It is also the final episode of Heroes that was ready for broadcast prior to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, and acted as the season finale pending the resolution of the dispute. The episode's main storylines revolve around Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) and Hiro Nakamura's (Masi Oka) quest to stop the release of the Shanti virus, and Sylar's (Zachary Quinto) attempt to regain his powers. The end of the episode features a brief prologue of the third volume, "Villains", which features Sylar regaining his powers. Originally, the virus was going to be released, and Tim Kring said that it was to play a big role in Volume 3. Kring stated that the ending had to be rewritten because they did not know when the show would return to air, and they wanted to make sure that they tied up all the loose ends. "Powerless" was watched by eleven million Americans and received mainly positive reviews from critics, with many saying that it was a positive end to a lackluster season. Plot Peter Petrelli and Adam Monroe break into the Primatech compound in Odessa to destroy the Shanti virus, a life-threatening disease that prevents evolved humans from using their abilities, ultimately ending in their death. Peter uses his powers to force the vault open, and is confronted by Hiro Nakamura, Nathan Petrelli and Matt Parkman. Nathan convinces Peter that Adam is trying to release the virus, not destroy it. Adam lets the virus fall just before Hiro teleports them both away. Peter manages to telekinetically grab the virus and vaporize it in his hands. After Monica Dawson is captured by a street gang, Micah Sanders turns to his mother Niki. Although Niki's powers are decreasing due to the virus, she agrees to help. They find Monica tied up in a burning abandoned warehouse. Using what remains of her superhuman strength, Niki helps Monica escape, but her strength fails and she ends up trapped inside the building as it explodes. Bob Bishop tells Noah Bennet that his daughter Claire Bennet is trying to expose The company and