NEED TO KNOW: This is an AU. I'm tweaking canon in that Alex accessed Taggart's memory and shut the bomb off before dropping it into the ocean. If it had gone off, it would've caused major nuclear fallout (five times the size of fucking Hiroshima? My god, what on earth was Blackwatch thinking?) which equals radiation in the water, world panic, politics and yada yada yada. (on second thought I might explore this in another AU, but not now.)
Minor things here are different from what's in canon, but you'll discover those as you read. They're important to the plot. If I screw something up that annoys the crap out of you, do let me know.
A window above him shatters. Glass rains down on his head and he stumbles, shielding his face with his arms. Something strikes the back of his neck and pain explodes behind his eyes, red splashing across his vision as he hits the ground. The soft skin of his arm rips open as he's forcefully dragged across the rough pavement, white hot pain sending him into shock. He can't scream, he can't breathe, and he's putting all the energy he has into getting air into his lungs. He rolls over and props himself up on his palms, adrenaline fueling his body to get the hell out of there.
When he looks up, his assailant looks down, and all thought of fleeing is immediately forgotten. The monster is looming above him as if it's Death incarnate. Its eyes, which are hard, silver and hawk-like, peer out from the dark depths of its hood.
Within the span of less than a second, he knows he's going to die. Without hesitation, the hand of Death securely grasps Tory's head and slams it into the ground, breaking cartilage and bone and concrete.
The teen dies upon impact, but the memory of Tory Baker lives on inside the monster of Manhattan.
Eight humans later and his biomass was still churning unhappily with hunger.
Zeus' scowl deepened as he stalked his next meal, an infected woman with a limp. His movements precise, he twisted her neck, the sharp crack muffled as she was consumed from behind. He ignored the expected rush of memories and emotions with practiced ease, firmly pushing them down as he peered forward into the darkness with the woman's eyes, lumbering shapes outlined clearly in his vision.
All the humans left were easy pickings, but the city's occupants had been thinned out dramatically, the result of Redlight and Blackwatch's respective missions in what was now a stark wasteland. The Marine Corp's firepower hadn't helped in the long run, either, he thought as he jumped over a house-sized crater in the street.
He paused mid-lunge to look over his shoulder, inspecting the destroyed asphalt thoughtfully.
Actually, he might've caused that one.
The Bloodtox pumped into the sewers still hadn't dissipated and it covered the ground in a thick fog. A light flickered before burning out completely; the wall it was fixed to covered in graffiti. He neared a collapsed hive; the destroyed material and decaying biomass spilled into the intersection, blocking his way. He jumped over most of it with ease, using the broken iron support beams for a boost into open air. He glided down, landing gracefully on the other side before sprinting to the end of the road.
Ragland's morgue was straight ahead; Alex could smell antiseptic and the sour stench of preserved corpses underneath the unpleasant tang of death that permeated the city. He switched back to his default form – Mercer's body wasn't his, not exactly, but it felt the most natural – in a flash of black and red. He slowed and jogged towards the side door. Taking a moment to scan for any unwanted Infected, he pushed open the door and walked through it like a normal person. Dana would have been proud, he reflected wryly as the metal hinges let out a high pitched squeal. He'd bet his Hammerfist that the sound would draw out Walkers, and he quickly closed it.
Looking for something to block the door with, he grabbed a bookshelf, dragged it over a few feet and leaned it on the door. It would have to do. He didn't have to worry about it, anyway; he didn't intend to leave the same way he came in. He passed the elevator – defunct, it looked like the power had gone out – and made quick work of the stairs, heading underground. The electricity was working here, and as he made a beeline for where his sister lay unconscious, he could hear the mechanical humming of a backup generator.
From what he remembered last time he'd been there, Dana had been laid out on center table in the morgue, hooked up to an IV and covered with a blanket. As of what he could see from the doorway, the set up hadn't changed at all. Her chest rose and fell in a steady pattern as she breathed, which was a good sign, but it was the sound of her heartbeat that calmed him.
His sister was still alive.
Ragland was at his desk, typing something into his computer. His glasses reflected the screen. "Hello, Alex." The virus didn't return the greeting. He hovered near Dana's side, reaching out and tentatively grasping her hand. It wasn't warm, but it wasn't freezing, either. It was just limp.
"How is she?"
Ragland pushed out from behind his desk and walked over to the other side of the examination table. "Still stable."
"Do you have any idea what Greene might have done?" The doctor shook his head. Ragland had pronounced bags under his eyes, and his shoulders sagged with exhaustion. Alex could relate, to a degree.
"I don't have the right equipment. I can't tell if this was caused by something Redlight-related, or blunt force trauma. Either is feasible at this point." The scientist went on to elaborate, but the virus tuned him out. Dana wasn't getting any better. His face darkened and he ground his teeth together. He wanted to rip Greene out of his biomass and pummel her until she was less than a smear on the pavement.
Dana was his and his alone. The fact that Greene had been able to lay a finger on her infuriated him; but Dana being hurt by something he didn't understand terrified him. The only positive side to this was that Greene was out of the picture. He'd extracted his revenge, as far as that avenue went. Dana had to get better; there was no room for alternatives. She was the only reason he'd been able to hold onto the small amount of human emotion and reasoning he possessed. She was different, and he cared for her in a way he didn't fully understand.
He refused to fail her as Mercer had.
"You're the only doctor left in Manhattan," Alex stated slowly, his mind whirring at a million miles an hour, his plan beginning to form piece by piece.
"As far as we know. Why?"
"The troops started to withdraw after I defeated Greene." Ragland's eyes narrowed.
"Alex, what are you-"
"And I haven't been chased by a Blackwatch goon since... a few hours ago." The event in itself was unusual; there was that pesky kill on sight order, for one thing, and they had been doing their best to track him down twenty-four-seven since he had woken up. The inactivity was suspicious. Alex nodded. "I can get us outside city limits." Momentarily scrounging up memories from a registered nurse, Alex disconnected Dana's IV and lifted her bridal style, taking care to brace her neck in the crook of his arm. Ragland tensed, but didn't make a move to stop him. The virus approved of his restrain.
"I can't just leave without prior warning," Ragland sputtered, motioning to the paperwork scattered across his desk. "I need to finish analyzing the data." Alex tried to make out the small print from across the room, with no success.
"Data from what?" Ragland waved his hands back and forth.
"I'm wrapping up a project. It's completely unrelated to the virus." Alex gritted his teeth in irritation; this wasn't going the way he needed it to. He didn't try to restrain a low, rumbling growl. To his disappointment, Ragland didn't look cowed.
"You can't put it aside for a few days?"
"I owe somebody a favor."
"You're the only doctor that has a handle on Redlight and how to deal with it," he countered.
"Mercer was head geneticist at GENTEK, Alex. You should be more knowledgeable about it than I am." The scientist paused. "Unless you can't access Mercer's memories?"
"No. I can." He just didn't want to. Mercer had been a sociopath; in his memories everything was stark and clear, black and white. The white wasn't necessarily good, even; it defined whatever helped Mercer achieve his sick, twisted goals. He didn't want the human's way of thinking to scratch away at the small amount of humanity he'd managed to scrounge up from a week with Dana and the people he'd consumed.
"Being stuck inside this hellhole isn't helping her," he stated, turning his back on Ragland. He started for the door. "I'm getting us out tonight."
"We don't know if she's infected or not," Ragland warned. "If you bring her with you, you could be spreading the virus further." Ragland wasn't mentioning the embodiment of a far more lethal strain standing directly in front of him, Alex noted. Humans. He'd never understand them.
"You think I haven't already checked?" Alex rumbled, exasperated with the back-and-forth. "I would have known if she was."
"It could be a dormant strain," the doctor argued back. Alex grudgingly shoved down the urge to beat Ragland to a pulp, reminding himself that the doctor had Dana's best interests in mind, even if he didn't act like it at the moment.
"I would still sense it," Alex stated.
"It's not a good idea until we know for sure." Zeus' patience was growing thinner and thinner. He smiled insincerely, using more teeth than good humor.
"You can't stop me."
"I suppose I can't," Raglan grumbled. "Do you know where the nearest open hospital is?" Alex glared. The doctor shook his head. "That's what I thought. Look, just…" Ragland scratched his chin. "Go to Brooklyn. When you're there look for the Medical Center; from Manhattan it's about fifteen miles southeast. When you arrive, ask for Doctor Marquez." At Alex's questioning look, he added, "She's an old colleague, works in the long term patients ward."
"You're sending me to somebody affiliated with Blackwatch." Alex's voice was completely devoid of emotion.
"No, she never worked there. We met in college." Alex shook his head.
"You can trust her, Alex."
"Don't tell me who to trust," he snarled. Ragland took a step back as Alex considered his options. Did he really have another choice? Or, more importantly, did Dana have a better option? "...If she tries anything, I'm killing her and coming back for you." Ragland nodded.
"It won't be an issue."
"How will I recognize her?"
"Brown hair, brown eyes, no sense of humor or respect; you'll know her when you meet her. Horrible traits for a doctor to have..." Ragland smirked. "Reminds me of someone."
"I have a sense of humor," Zeus stated stoically. "And you're recommending her?"
"What she lacks for in people skills she makes up for in talent. She strives to be the best at what she does."
"How much does she know about the virus?"
"I contacted her once, after the outbreak. I'd assume that the media has covered some of it..."
"I don't like this." Ragland shrugged.
"Don't scare her off. You can answer any questions she has." Alex eyed Ragland as he walked back to his desk. He shook the mouse, and the computer screensaver returned to whatever program he'd been working with. "I can't think of any other options." As Ragland returned to his work, Alex looked down at Dana. Her eyes were closed, and her face was slack, the hardness around her eyes gone. He curled his hand and brought the back of his knuckles to lightly brush the left side of her collarbone.
Her heart continued to beat, strong and unwavering.
"Thank you."
When Ragland lifted his head to reply, Zeus and his sister were gone.
I should probably warn that my update speed will come and go, depending on whatever work my college professors decide on assigning.
I WROTE ABOUT THE POWER OF LOVE
WHAT HAVE I DONE