Alex Mercer had discovered who had been calling him; or rather that person had revealed themselves. It was the Specialist, the man who he had fought before in the infected hive, which really wasn't all that long ago. Alex had killed thousands (not that he bothered to count). The feelings that they left behind was more than enough to constantly remind him of those who had lost their lives at his hands. This man however had stood against Alex, had been able to put up quite a fight all on his own. No one had been able to since. Then he had tricked him and stabbed him in the back with that goddamned anti-virus; a cheap shot that he still resented.

To find out that it was this man who had been contacting him had certainly piqued his interest. Another call though meant another damn job. What was he an errand boy? Still he was given the task and did it. Stopping a wave of helicopters hadn't been too tough if not a bit stressful. He was successful with minimal problems though perhaps…he may have cut it a bit close.

After all that….. he had to say that he was bothered.

He currently resided in an alley. A closed ended alley with the wayward trash blowing in the slight wind created from passing cars. Alex sat hunched against an average building's wall, more just a hunk of rectangular concrete. His hood was pulled securely over his head and his eyes were distant as he thought. He had reviewed the memories of those he had consumed, the ones with the data pertaining to his past. However it wasn't his past he was really looking into. He was searching for data on the being similar to him. PARIAH.

PARIAH was currently just another virus carrier, similar to Alex himself but without much else to define him. There was the fact that he was a child, though not time-wise. He also seemed to have a different strain than Alex. A voice in his (rather others) memories could be heard saying sternly that 'Zeus' and 'Pariah' should never meet. That was more of an invitation then anything to find the….kid.

It was turning dark outside. Alex groaned and his thoughts shifted. How long had he been at it? From searching for his past to saving the city? He couldn't recall. Jumping from building to building all day and destroying all manner of things. Stealing both vehicles and the bodies and lives of others. For all of it he could quite honestly say he didn't have much; His sister who wasn't really his sister (as he thought of it now), though he still cared for her. There was also Dr. Ragland, who was really an acquaintance. Opposed to this active time slot there were the times when he wasn't doing anything, like he was now. He just stayed cooped up in the darker, more secluded parts of the city.

Then the phone by the street began to ring. Alex sighed and stood up, heading for the city phone quickly enough. He picked it up to be greeted by that same voice. "Zeus there is something I need to discuss with you. Ther-"

"No Specialist. I need to talk with you" Alex interrupted. He really did too. This man kept calling him shrouded in suspicion. He was working against the same side he was on. Alex wasn't quick to forget that this man had attacked him as well.

"All this" he began. "This whole situation is a big whirlwind of crap. I know a lot of what I set out to find…..but I ended up with way too many extra questions. Some of those include you…..and that thing….PARIAH. I feel damn cheated."

There was a pause on the other side. Then "You want some more answers Zeus? I do as well. Let's meet. I'll tell you where. We can discuss things face to face. No fighting. No lies."

An address was given and the specialist hung up, the other line going silent. Alex huffed, returning the phone and mulled over the given address. Wasn't it an apartment room?

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Yahhh......Forgive chronological mistakes. It's been really long since I last played Prototype. I hope to have Mercer and Cross become a sort of kick-ass tag team but really the story could end up in any number of ideas. Next chapter should be twice as long :( I don't really think this one is long enough.

Thanks for reading! Please review!