I've been waiting a LONG time to write this one. I'm sure there will be a few minor differences between my story and the game, but nothing too drastic. Just a forewarning. This takes place during the events of the first game. I haven't had a chance to get the second game, so please don't post spoilers in your reviews! I don't know why anyone would, but I just thought I'd point that out just in case. Haha. Finally, I just thought I'd point out that this story will center on an original character. As always, hope you guys enjoy the story! Please review!


1: The Rescue

Max was bored. Bored out of his mind on a Friday night. Nothing new here. While every other student at his high school was out sneaking booze, having spontaneous sex and living out every other teenage stereotype, he was left to sit idly at home in front of a TV.

He wasn't alone, though.

"Is this shit supposed to be entertaining or am I missing something here..?"

Max shot a glare that went unnoticed by his target. Cameron sat across from Max on his bed, giving the TV the most offensive look possible.

"Wow. This show... sucks.." Cameron threw his hands up in defeat and disbelief.

"Oh Christ, it's not that bad." Max rolled his eyes and fetched his phone from the bedside table. The backlight revealing the annoyed expression that now painted his features.

Cameron spun around dramatically, "Seriously? This show tries too hard to be funny. The characters are fucking retarded.."

At this point, Max was tuning out Cameron's ongoing criticism of one of his favorite shows and focused on texting his long distance friends. Lately, he hasn't been too fond of his own best friend. All he does lately is complain and criticize, showing little to no respect for Max.

Max realized the only reason he considers Cam his best friend is because Cam is his only friend. It was clear that he and Cam had grown apart and he could easily put an end to the misery of having to deal with him, but then he'd officially be alone at school.

Cam let out an emphasized groan and faced the TV again, knowing his incessant bashing was falling on deaf ears.

"Next on your local news at 10, we're taking a closer look at the infection that has affected approximately 10% of the city and at the panic surrounding the presence of the mysterious man known as 'Zeus'."

"Man, I can't wait until they finally catch that freak. We don't need shit like that running around on the streets!" Cam said, fire in his words.

"You seem to have a real problem with that Zeus guy." Max noted with mild annoyance.

"It's not a 'guy'," Cam corrected with an air of arrogance, "It used to be a guy, now it's just some kind of mutant. And uhh, yeah, I kinda have a problem with psychotic mass-murderers, dumbass."

Max gritted his teeth. "Whatever."

It was best to either go with Cam or let the issue fizzle out rather than contest him. Max loathed having to bite his tongue and admit defeat, but It was easier in the long run.

Deciding he had enough, Max feigned a long yawn.

"Fuck, I'm tired.."

After about a minute, Cam stretched and stood up.

"I better get going. Hang out tomorrow night?"

"Uhh, can't. Gonna be busy helping my dad." Max shrugged and faked a frown.

"You're always busy." Cam glowered and pulled on his coat. "Whatever. See ya."

Max shut the door behind him and watched him drive off.

"Asshole."

He sighed deeply, relishing the freedom that was being away from his so-called friend.

"Wonder what it's like to have friends that you don't despise. What a goddamn luxury."

Max knew there was always the option of confronting his friend about how he felt; an opportunity to open a line of communication that had been closed off for a long time already. It could end up being one of those cathartic moments between friends who had fallen off track, one that would bring them back together and make their bond stronger than ever.

Unfortunately, this wasn't an after school special, nor an infomercial for an over-hyped therapy center, where doing the right thing automatically made life into a meadow filled with sunshine and rainbows.

He had tried to reason with Cam through their issues, but Cam seemed less than interested in compromising. Max decided the next best thing would be to keep him at arm's length until he got his act together. If that never happened, then at least he only has eight more months of having to see him.


The journey back home from school was lonely, but peaceful. He wouldn't be able to concentrate on his own thoughts had he chosen to walk home with Cameron like he normally did.

After a while, Max caught on to something odd. The streets seemed a lot less populated than normal. Usually, they were bustling with motion and the air was filled with the white noise of indistinct voices and machinery.

He saw only a few stray civilians walking around, but there were mostly cops and Marines posted in the area. The sight made him a little nervous, but he continued on, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

"Hey!"

Max pulled on the strap of his backpack and stared down at his feet, ignoring the shouting.

"Hey, kid!"

Max continued on, hoping it wasn't directed at him.

"Dammit! Are you fucking deaf or something?"

Max finally looked up to see, to his inconvenience, a group of Marines facing him from across the street. Their eyes were hidden behind pairs of sunglasses. The one who was shouting was now heading towards him with two others closely following behind.

"Oh, great." Max mumbled under his breath.

"Is there a problem?" The man asked with a slight tinge of accusation in his voice, as if he caught Max with wads of cash falling out of his pockets.

"Uhh.. no?" Max attempted to stand his ground, but couldn't help being intimidated by the men as they approached.

They couldn't be more than three years older than himself, but they were making him feel like he was a little kid who was about to be scolded.

All three of them were now standing in front of him. They were massively tall and well-built. The guns they carried with ease looked like they could crush Max.

'Uhh... no?' The man mockingly echoed back. "What are you doing skulking around here if you're not up to something, bro?"

Max furrowed his brows as he craned his neck to look into the other man's condescending sneer. "I'm walking home from school.."

"By yourself?" One of the other men asked.

Before Max could answer back, the first man asked to see his ID. Probably for the best. He was about to give him a dose of sarcasm, which may not be wise to do to a guy whose belt line was higher than your head.

Max flashed his ID to the Marine, which he took his sweet time looking over.

"You're eighteen?" The man asked, as if the idea astonished him.

Max arched his eyebrows. "Yeah..." He could feel his body start to burn up with embarrassment and discomfort. He knew the guy expected to see that he was no older than twelve.

The Marine chuckled tauntingly. "Dude, lift some weights or something. My 14-year-old brother is bigger than you."

Max snatched his ID from him as he handed it over. He started to walk away from the cackling men when he was stopped in his tracks by the Marine's massive hand on his chest.

"Whoa there. Where do you think you're going, kid? We're not done with you yet."

"What else do you want?" Max was getting impatient. He just wanted to go home. Perhaps ditching Cameron wasn't the best idea after all.

"You getting scared or something? You're starting to sweat."

Max was trying his best to hide his fear, but he was legitimately starting to worry about his safety. His fears gained ground when the first man grabbed Max by the fabric of his shirt and tugged him towards the alley, nearly ripping the material in the process.

The Marine flung him into the wall of the building. "Don't give me your fucking attitude, kid." His hands returned to Max's shirt, this time lifting him off his feet. "And learn to respect your superiors."

Max was tossed backwards, and yelped in pain as he fell on his back, scraping parts of his exposed skin on the pavement.

"Just leave me alone! What the fuck did I do to you?" Max attempted to back away, trying hard not to look like a pathetic wimp. He knew they had him right where they wanted him.

The Marine snickered and leaned down to lift Max back to his feet.

The alley boomed and rattled suddenly, as if lightning struck or a massive weight dropped into the area, causing the Marines to jump back. Garbage, dust and chunks of cement flew everywhere.

Max shielded his eyes as he turned to see what happened. In the shadows and the settling dust, he could make out a hooded man standing there.

"It's Zeus! FIRE!"

Max barely had a moment to process what was happening, but he immediately flung himself behind the safety of a large dumpster next to the wall a split second before bullets pelted the hooded man. He wasn't dropping; instead, he was slowly walking toward the Marines.

Before he knew it, the man was charging full speed at the Marines, fist first. Another tremor shook the alleyway as his powerful fist made contact with the men, sending all three of them all the way across the street. An explosion or two followed and filled the alley with orange light.

Max gaped at the surreal scene unfolding in front of him. It finally hit him. This man was THE Zeus. The one he's heard about so many times on the news. As soon as the Marines were dealt with, the hooded man turned and faced Max. Max nearly pissed himself, cowering behind the dumpster.

Great, now instead of the Marines killing me, this guy is going to. What the fuck did I do to deserve this?

A hand rested on his trembling shoulder. He turned to see Zeus seemingly staring down at him. He couldn't see his face which was heavily shrouded by the shadow of his hood. The rest of his features came to light, though.

He was wearing a black, shiny leather jacket with two white strips on each arm. Underneath it was a gray hoodie that kept his face a mystery. He wore a pair of blue jeans that fit his body well, along with black boots that shone in the light.

All Max could do was stare in awe at the man standing over him and hope that he wasn't about to be murdered. Before he could process another thought, he was being lifted onto Zeus' back as if he was weightless. He gripped Max's arm with one hand and then they were airborne. He hopped from rooftop to rooftop like it required no effort at all.

Max was hardly aware of anything that was going on, aside from the wind whistling in his ears. He barely had a chance to worry about his safety or how a man like this could exist.

Zeus' large hand was clasped tightly around Max's arm. His grip felt like it was stronger than steel. He knew all about Zeus from the various news reports that circulated since he surfaced in New York City.

Logically, Max knew he should be terrified right now. He knew he should've ran the first chance he got, but something, besides the shock of the situation, made him stay. Just like something right now is making it hard for him to believe that Zeus is this monster that the media has painted him to be. He felt safe more than anything else.

He held on tight for the remainder of the time. After a couple minutes, Zeus landed in an alley and put Max down. Luckily, it was just a short distance from his apartment. He didn't feel it was appropriate to tell this man where exactly to drop him off.

Zeus walked deeper into the darkness of the alley. Max gawked at him for a moment.

"Thank you."

The man turned around for a second and then jumped out of sight again, leaving Max alone with his thoughts.

So.. that was really Zeus. But how could that be? Everyone's always going on about how he's this monstrous killer, but he just saved my life. Ironically, from the very people that are supposed to be keeping our well being in mind.

Max hung out in that alley for about an hour after that, pacing up and down as if he were on hallowed ground. He didn't want to leave. He wanted to remain there, as if he were expecting something to happen and didn't want to miss out on whatever that was.