Text: Normal dialogue and text

Text: Memories

Text: Thoughts

A.N: Hey everyone! Hope you liked the prologue. Here is chapter 1. Please review! I really what to hear what you think. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 1

New York Zero

Yellow Zone

3:47 P.M.

Zack woke with a start, shooting up in his bed. He looked around, dazed and confused. The room was a solid white which hurt his eyes. He put a hand to his head and it throbbed to the touch. "Man, I feel like I just got back from a bachelor party in Vegas." A.N: A cookie to anyone who gets that reference. Post it in a review.He tried to get up but felt pain fly up his legs and arms. He ignored the pain and got out of the bed, taking small careful steps on the tiles. The floor was cold and felt unusually clean for a building in the Yellow Zone. Voices floated into the room and into his ears, which was weird considering his hearing was not that good. Years of living in a place were Blackwatch fired off their guns just for the hell of it really wears on your hearing. Zack also noticed that his eyesight was more acute than before. His vision was 20/20 but still, he noticed and spotted things with a lot more detail. He heard footsteps coming in his directions and he quickly stumbled back into his bed. The door opened and a man in a HAZMAT suit walked in. Zack couldn't see his face but he knew it was a Gentek doctor. The man held a clipboard in one hand and raised it to his chest where he looked over things on the clipboard with his finger. "Alright Mr. Keith, looks like your already to go. That officer must've done a hell of a job on you. When your sister found you, you looked almost nothing like yourself. We were pretty sure you were in a coma but lo and behold, you woke up after only two days." The doctor said in a hiss that was common with a HAZMAT suit on, what with the voice radio. Zack flashed back to that time on the rooftop, with Mercer. He did remember a whole lot of pain but did Mercer really beat him like that? "Yah." Zack finally said. "I guess he did." The doctor nodded and looked over the clipboard once more before turning to leave. "Your free to go. The officer covered the charges. Your clothes are over there by that chair."

Zack l watched the doctor leave then sighed. "God Mercer. What the fuck did you do to me?" He would have a little talk with Mercer before he helped him at all. He got out of his bed and walked over to the clothes draped over the chair. His clothes that he had that day were there still: His AC/DC shirt, a pair of worn blue jeans and red and white NIKES. He dressed and walked out of the room. He passed many other rooms while on his way out but paid no attention to them. When he got outside of the hospital, he saw a common site in the Yellow Zone: camps. Infirmaries mostly but some were infection camps, practically quarantine camps. He walked past them all, trying not to look with pity at all the poor souls how were rolling on the gurneys and made his way back to his and Annette's apartment.

The doctor that talked to Zack walked up to the Blackwatch commander in the hospital after Zack left the hospital and said something quietly to him. The commander then went onto his radio and issued a general order "I want eyes on Zack Keith ASAP. We need to make sure he behaves.

Zack walked down the street he knew all so well and got to the apartment building in no time. As he walked in and up the stairs to his floor, he went over the events that had happened: Mercer infected him to help fight Blackwatch, he was then out for two days and he doesn't feel any different besides some sensory enhancements. Nothing at all! He put his thumb and index finger to his forehead in a pinching motion. This is most likely going to be a VERY long day. He reached his apartment and felt around in his pockets for his keys. When he found them and unlocked the door, he stepped into his apartment. It wasn't a small apartment but it wasn't any penthouse either. The living room was strait in front of the door that then led to a small kitchen ad on. A hallway after that housed Zack and Annette's rooms. They had a small TV in the living room that was in front of a beat up couch. That's were Annette was when Zack came in. She looked almost like a zombie the way she was just sitting there. As Zack closed the door and made a loud throat clearing sound, Annette looked up. Her eyes widened and she immediately jumped up and ran to hug her brother. "The doctor said you may not come out of that coma. I was really worried." She said, hugging him more. "Why? Were you worried that you would lose your only brother?" He asked teasingly. "She looked up at him and smiled. Zack was around 5 ft 9 and Annette about 5 ft 6. "No, I was worried I would have to go and find a job to support myself." She said back, sarcasm dripping from her voice. That's one of the things Annette had but Zack didn't: Sarcasm. He could never pull it off properly. After that emotional reunion of the two siblings, Zack went to the kitchen to get something to drink while Annette sat down on the couch and started to watch TV again. Then there was a knock at the door. Zack thought it was maybe a neighbor coming to say hi so he answered the door. When he opened it however, the only thing he saw was a hooded man in a black leather jacket. "Roof. Now." That was all Mercer said before walking away. Zack clenched his hand into a fist then sighed. He was right. It would be a VERY long day.

Zack slammed open the door to the roof, his anger clearly showing in his face. Mercer didn't even seem to notice him. All he did was stand on the edge of the roof and look out into the neighborhood. "Alright Mercer." Zack said, placing a hand on Mercer's shoulder rather hard. "What the FUCK did you do to me!" Mercer turned around and chuckled. "What do you think?" He said, in a joking tone. "I gave you my virus. I told you that two days ago. Remember? When I asked you to join me?" Zack eyes widened and his head suddenly ached like that of this morning. He grabbed it and dropped to his knees as the memories over took him.

"Hello Zack." Mercer said to him in an almost friendly tone. "What the hell do you want from me?" Zack asked, somehow managing to keep his cool. "I want you to join me. Plain and simple. I saw how you stood up to Blackwatch for your sister. I seek to destroy Blackwatch and Gentek. You may just be the person I need." "I don't know. I don't want to turn into one of those freaks that roam Manhattan." Zack said. "Don't worry. You won't. I'll give you my version of the virus so you can stop Blackwatch in this area. They're experimenting on the civilian population, putting them in cages with infected for hours at a time." He said, and then he held out his hand. "Join me and make a real fucking difference in this world." Zack hesitated but finally took Mercers hand in his. Immediately he felt pain like no other and he wanted to scream, yell out but something prevented him. The last thing he saw before he blacked out from the swarm of pain and tendrils was Mercer's clawed hand stab right into his chest.

Zack opened his eyes and looked at Mercer. "I remember. What do you want me to do?" Mercer smiled. It was working. "When you walked out of the hospital this morning, the doctor who talked to you notified a Blackwatch commander about your "condition". You need to consume both of them in order to learn what Blackwatch is up to." "How do I consume?" Zack asked, his stomach doing flip-flops. "I'm glad you asked." Mercer said with a smirk. "Because I have some one here for you to "practice" on. He then reached behind an air conditioner to reveal a Blackwatch trooper. He was unconscious but after Alex gave him a good one right in the nose, he woke up with a jump. "Hey, let me go! You have no idea who your fucking with!" Mercer threw him down and pinned him with his boot. "Zack Keith, meet Blackwatch 2nd lieutenant John Shoring. It's ok. Let it happen." He changed his arms into tendrils and put one arm on Zack and the other on John. Zack saw his hand morph in a flurry of tendrils as they made contact with the soldier. Instantly Zack felt the soldier die and break down into biomass, which he then felt combined with his own body. The mans memories, all of them, came rushing into his mind. He dropped to the floor once again and held his head.

"Sir, the civilians are ready to be put in with the infected." John said, saluting an officer. "Good work lieutenant. Report back to Dr. Dice's office for another assignment. I'll be there myself in a while." "Sir yes Sir!"

The memory ended and Zack got up. "I.. I know were they are. They're in a small camp. The doctor at least. I don't know where the officer is." "You will." Mercer said. "Just consume the doctor and you will know. Oh and try and consume them both stealthily." I don't want you to be on their radar yet." With that, Mercer turned and before jumping away, he turned back to Zack. "Oh and put a jacket on, you'll catch a cold." He then jumped down on to the street and disappeared. Zack thought for a moment before he felt his skin form into a black leather jacket with a hood attached, the jacket having gray racing stripes down the sleeves. "Well I'll be dammed. I think I may grow to like this." He thought before turning and walking back down to his apartment.

A.N: Well that's it for chapter 1! Again, please review. It really helps me.

Later

P.O 1469