Author's Note: Yes, I did an InFamous/Prototype crossover. So sue me. This one is intended to be mostly serious, since both characters are quite serious. However, I promise this series won't be without its points of giggle-worthy hijinks. Also, I'm not sure how noticeable it is, but I've only played InFamous by proxy, i.e. I watched while my cousin played. I assume Empire City is to the south of New York, probably on the East Coast somewhere. Maybe off the coast of Maryland or something, I don't know.
Rated M due to some strong language and zombie murder, because they're people too!
Finally, be aware this is not, under any circumstances, spoiler-free for either game. Most of InFamous's are from the endgame, while Prototype's start from about half-way through.
"Reports are still coming in on the release of the biological weapon in Manhattan Island. The perpetrator, former Gentek scientist Alexander Mercer, has gone missing after escaping from a morgue, originally thought to be dead. The government has enacted a quarantine of the island to prevent the spread of the highly infectious virus, and has dispatched several relief units and medical supplies to help those infected…"
Cole MacGrath lay on his back in the small room, listening to the broadcast over a portable radio. He briefly considered turning it off, perhaps even replacing its noise with that of the police scanner, but something caught his ear.
"…Rumors have begun spreading that Mercer himself is under the effects of the virus, and that he has begun attacking citizens. Some claim that he has even gained superpowers from it."
This last word had been said with more than a hint of sarcasm, but Cole knew all too well that superhuman abilities weren't as far fetched as they seemed. The reporter continued on, but Cole was barely listening. All manner of speculation was running through his mind. What if this man was another Conduit? Worse still, what if he was connected somehow to The Beast, that being of unthinkable destruction? Considering that this Mercer had just released a plague on Manhattan, chances were that he was a threat.
There was only one thing to do; he had to go see for himself and, if necessary, stop this man now while he was still contained.
Could he afford to leave now? Empire City was still mostly in ruins, but the crime rate was down, and the quarantine had been lifted, allowing supplies to come through. The Reapers were in retreat, the First Sons had left, and the Dust Men were within manageable levels. The local police could take care of things for a few days while he was gone, he assured himself, though even as he began packing his bags he was having second thoughts, a number of doomsday scenarios playing out in his head.
"Its too great a risk. If I don't go, I'll regret it later…" he muttered to himself as he folded and stuffed another set of clothes into his backpack. He shut off the radio, which had long since moved onto other topics and, making sure to lock the door behind him, left the small apartment he'd rented following his final confrontation with Kessler. He still didn't completely trust Zeke.
Leaping carefully onto the top of a moving train, he rode it partway around its track, the occasional pedestrian pointing and shouting happily. Cole had started to get used to it by now, but all the publicity sometimes got to him…
Skillfully, he jumped off the train, landing with a roll at street level, and without missing a beat began running south towards the bridge that connected the three islands of Empire City to the mainland. He remembered coming here, not all that long ago, accompanied by Zeke and hundreds of other civilians. Though they had managed to get past several of the barricades, ultimately the attempt to break the quarantine had failed. It felt almost bizarre to now be able to simply cross the bridge with no resistance. The steel doors hadn't been taken down yet, but he was allowed to pass through. He was given a few questioning glances as he jogged across, and one fellow traveler asked him exactly where he thought he was going.
"To visit someone on the mainland," Cole replied, pausing only briefly to talk to the man. He had lied, of course. If word got around that the local hero was going to be gone for several days, maybe even a few weeks, any criminal organization that thought it could gain the upper hand would attempt a takeover. No, it was better if people did not know he was going to be gone for very long.
For the first time since gaining his new powers, Cole finally set foot on the far end of the bridge. He cast a quick glance behind him, taking in the familiar skyline of Empire City one last time before continuing on his journey northwards.
He nearly started heading for the bus station, but recalled that motor vehicles had a nasty tendency to explode when he sat in them. Public transportation was most certainly out of the question…
This is going to be one long walk...