AN:
There! You twisted my arm! You people happy! Now you'll get your story of Alex Mercer in Columbia.
Chapter 2
Alex Mercer didn't know what to expect where the Tear would take him to but he certainly didn't expect to be under several meters of very cold seawater. Blacklight was a virus that had a very strong dislike of water so it immediately objected to the contact and caused the biomass that constituted his form to squirm.
Mercer immediately made for the surface. To his distaste as he reached the surface, it was raining pretty hard while waves crashed violently against his body in an attempt to sink him.
Oh boy, was the Blacklight incarnate pissed beyond measure. When he sees those twins again, he will give them a piece of his mind and maybe cut off a piece of them while he's at it.
It was a relief to see a rather tall tower nearby. It was nothing on par with what New York had, but it was still fairly tall nevertheless. This monolith was relatively unadorned except for the steady white light at the top. It was strange that a lighthouse didn't have a regular pulsing pattern to it.
He pushed that thought aside in favor of getting to somewhere dry so he quickly swam towards the lighthouse.
With a shudder, Zeus pulled himself out of the ocean and onto the stairs next to the tower's base. He made a dash to the door and broke it down in his haste to get out of the rain. With a flick of biomass, he cleared his form of any water that still clung unto him. After getting his bearings back, he took a moment to observe the room that he was in.
The lighthouse interior wasn't what you would expect in any lighthouse on the mainland. The room had wooden floors and a warm atmosphere that felt welcoming to a human. But Alex Mercer was only human in appearance.
Right in front of the door under the central pillar of the tower, a small table was set up with a water basin on the center, a lit candle on the right side, and a couple of white wash cloths on the left. A frame hung above the table with a sign made of cloth and stitching that read: "Of Thy Sins, Shall I Wash Thee".
"I'll pass," Alex scoffed. He already had enough water for today, thank you very much.
He made his way towards the stairs. Another sign similar to the one hanging above the water basin was on the wall next to the stairwell. This one read: "From Sodom, Shall I Lead Thee".
Religion was a joke in Mercer's opinion. It was just a group full of Neanderthals. The only reason why people go to church was because they want to go to heaven and not to hell. They were only thinking about themselves and they helped others for their own benefit.
(AN: I apologize to any religious folks out there if this offended you. This is simply Alex's opinion about religion since he thinks all humans are selfish. This is not my personal opinion so please don't hate me.)
He shook his head as he ascended the metal steps slowly.
Reaching the landing, he saw a large room that took up the entire floor. Tables, desk, a large sink, a bed, and several crates were stacked up along one of the walls with a couple of lamps on the walls above, illuminating everything.
He set his eyes on the object that was placed on the bed. A stained, oak wood box sat in the center of the mattress, looking out of place. He picked the box up and saw the shiny brass nameplate on the lid.
Mercer's eyes narrowed from under his hood when he saw his name in perfectly inscribed calligraphy.
The only possible conclusion that he could come to was that those two left this for him.
He lifted the lid and looked at the contents. Inside were several things. Under the lid, two papers were taped, one looked like a postcard with a golden statue of an angel that had her arms outstretched. The other one next to it was a blank paper with symbols and numbers written on it; from left to right, there was an open scroll with X1 next to it, a key with X2 next to it, and a saber facing blade-down with X2 next to it.
Setting that aside for the moment, he looked at the rest of the box and was intrigued to see an iron key. Picking it up, the sentient virus examined it with careful eyes. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it other than the pictures on the handle. One side depicted a bird flying free while the other had an empty birdcage.
The last content was a photograph of a young woman.
He picked up the black and white picture of a young woman that looked around the same age as Dana wearing a white blouse and a long blue skirt. The name "Elizabeth" was written at the top.
He flipped the picture over to see the words: "Find her, protect her" printed on the back.
"This must be the girl they want me to bring to them," he muttered, taking one last look at the photograph before storing the items inside biomass. He then went up the next flight of stairs. He had to step over an overturned table and broken plates as he ascended to the next floor.
A lone light shined down on a man tied to a chair with a burlap bag over his head. Blood pooled down on the floor under him and running toward the stairs and several splatters on the wall behind him.
Alex gave an indifferent glance at the obviously dead man's body due to having done far worse than this. He snorted at the supposed warning note that was pinned to the man's shirt. Of course things were going to get worse. He was about to get involved after all.
He ignored the corpse and walked towards another flight of stairs.
The farther up that he went, Mercer noticed that he was nearing the top of the lighthouse and was now outside. The storm was now going strong, lightning and thunder clapped in the distance as heavy raindrops struck the tower's frame and his body to his displeasure.
Alex reached the top of the lighthouse to see a door on his left leading into where the spotlight of the tower was located. He remembered that this was where the pod-like object was located.
In the center of the door was a statue of an angel with her arms opened. Three bells were lined in front with symbols carved into it.
"Hm, this looks familiar," the Prototype recognized the symbols on the bells. He pulled the paper with the same markings written on it.
Giving one last look at the paper, he flicked the bell with the open scroll first by using finger. Going to the middle bell, the one with a key, he struck it twice. Moving to the last bell, he hit it twice like the one before and waited.
At first nothing happened then the skies lit up a bright red and let out a loud horn that drowned out the sound of the storm.
Alex spun around with his claws out and looked up the sky as more loud horns resounded through the air.
"The fuck is going on!?" he shouted over the bellowing before it soon came to an end.
Mechanics within the lighthouse started churning. The large light in the center opened up and slid up, allowing the floor to flip over to reveal a red barbers chair where it had been set up.
Stepping in cautiously out of the rain, he walked around the chair and saw nothing special about but looks can be deceiving.
Shrugging and shifting his claws back into hands, he settled down on the comfortable seat.
"Hey!" he exclaimed in surprise as restraints snapped shut around his wrists, torso, and ankles.
"Make yourself ready, pilgrim. The bindings are there as a safeguard," a female voice spoke from nearby loud speakers as he easily broke out of the bindings with his superhuman strength. Then several small walls came out of the floor surrounding the chair before coming together and sealing it up tightly.
The floor suddenly dropped open, forcing Alex to shoot out black spikes from his hands and impale the walls with them so he won't fall into the rockets that were beginning to fire up.
"Ascension…Ascension in the count of FIVE…countdown of FOUR..." the floor righted itself back to its original position as the whole lighthouse started to shake. "THREE…TWO…"
"Shit!" he swore as the trembling increased in intensity.
He didn't trust the chair to keep him safe so he continued to cling unto the walls until he felt safe enough to let go.
"ONE…" the pod was launched from the top of the tower and was shot into the sky.
The viral abomination grunted as the force of the launch pressed down on him.
"Ascension…Ascension…" Alex was cursing up a storm as he saw the clouds outside slipping by.
"Five thousand feet…ten thousand feet…fifteen thousand feet…" the pod broke through the clouds, blinding him as the sun was suddenly revealed. When the light died down a little, he looked out of the porthole in front of him and felt his jaw dropped.
Outside was a city...FLOATING IN THE GODDAMN SKY!
He could only stare at the magnificent sight before him in complete awe. He forgot everything that had happened up to now. It was beautiful. Each cluster of buildings seemed to be connected by a railway and gondola system. Airships and blimps drifted around the island-like structures as they hovered above the clouds.
The Prototype was struck speechless. He thought he knew every dirty secret that the world could offer him from all the high-ranking officials that he consumed but apparently not since he had no idea that something like this existed until now.
The pod continued move amongst the buildings. One of them floated by, showing a poster that depicted an old man with shoulder length white hair and beard with "Father Comstock, Our Prophet" displayed proudly on it.
The man bore a regal atmosphere befitting of a title such as "Prophet" but Alex simply saw him as some religious nut job.
Not a few seconds later, the pod perched on top of a building and was slowly lowered inside, passing scaffoldings with words that were illuminated by the sun.
Why Would He Send His Savior Unto Us
If We Will Not Raise A Finger For Our Own Salvation
And Though We Deserved Not His Mercy
He Has Led Us To This New Eden
A Last Chance For Redemption
Reading each statement, he couldn't help but wonder what kind place was this and how the hell did he get here. As the pod continued to lower, a large stained glass image was shown with the sun shining through it. The image of the same man that he saw on the poster before was standing tall with people surrounding him in prayer and a banner above him that said "And The Prophet Shall Lead The People To The New Eden."
Everything came to a stop. The front wall of the pod hissed and slowly opened to the inside of what looked like a church. He slid the black spikes back into his biomass, allowing him to exit the pod.
He stepped out of the chamber and nearly took another step forward before he noticed that the whole floor was covered in water. He quickly pulled his foot back and almost hissed at the offending liquid.
There was no way that he would put his foot in the water let alone walk around in it.
He noticed an open window that he could use as an exit a few feet above him. Focusing the biomass in his legs, he jumped up to it and began to make his way through the city in the sky.
00000
After consuming an unsuspecting civilian and taking on his appearance, Alex was able to find out a few important details about Columbia from the man's memories. One, Zachary Comstock, the so-called prophet founded the city. Two, the people here actually worship Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington. Three, there was a rebel group known as the Vox Populi, which was Latin for "Voice of the People". Four, there was some sort of fair going on so everything was free. Five, everyone believed in Anglo-Saxon supremacy so they were basically racists. Lastly, it was the year 1912.
He ruled out the possibility that he somehow traveled through time since there were no records of a floating city so he came to the conclusion that he was in an alternate timeline.
He would have claimed that all of these things were impossible if it wasn't for the many impossible things that he could do so he was willing to keep an open mind.
Honestly, he wasn't that much surprised by what he found out. If someone can rip a hole in the very fabric of reality, then it was likely that he was in an alternate timeline or universe.
He walked along the bustling streets of the floating town like he lived there his whole life (technically the man whose face that he was currently wearing did). He didn't bother to stop and stare at his surroundings because he already knew what they looked like.
Eventually, Alex came to a stop among a group of people who were waiting for a gate at the end of the island-like ship to open and allowed them passage. A parade of airships with floats on top of them drifted by, depicting everything that Comstock had done for the citizens of Columbia.
The last float caught his attention. It showed Comstock holding a child in his arms with a woman holding his arm. The banner under the image said, "A Miracle Child is Born. The Future of the City is Secured!"
He heard the narrator of the parade mentioned that the Lamb was the future of the city and she was to lead the Sodom Below into righteousness.
The Prototype couldn't care less for any this crap as the parade finally passed by and a bridge came up, connecting the islands together.
He moved along with crowds with none being the wiser. He saw a large statue of an angel with her arms outstretched that towered over the city like a guardian watching over them as he went past the various shops and stands that were opened.
Digging around his biomass, Alex pulled out the postcard that he had gotten from the box and saw that it was a match.
"Monument Island, huh?" he said to himself before looking back to the tower, "Guess that's where she's being kept."
"Telegram for Mr. Mercer!" Alex jumped in surprise and he was about to ripple his biomass before looking down to see a little kid holding out a letter for him.
"Telegram for you, sir!" the boy said as he snatched the letter from his hands. The kid ran without another word.
Alex turned the card over and started to read.
"Alexander Mercer STOP"
"Do not alert Comstock to your presence STOP."
"Whatever you do, do not pick #77 STOP."
"Lutece"
He looked back at the monument before continuing on his walk. Tendrils crawled up his hand and tore the letter to shreds. He willed the tentacles to slither back into his biomass, letting the shredded pieces drift away through the wind.
He already knew that he shouldn't alert this Comstock character but the bit about picking number seventy-seven was what caught his mind. What was so important about the number seventy-seven?
A few minutes later, he found himself stepping into a fair that had been set up for the festival going on. Stands of food, arcade games, and people selling various items were set up everywhere as crowds gathered at each one.
Alex found himself disgusted by all the merriments. He always hated the loud obnoxious noises of a festival. It was a trait that the original Alex Mercer had and one that he seemed to inherit.
There was one thing though that piqued his interest.
He watched performers shoot out lightning and fire from out of their hands. He could tell that they weren't using special effects with his superhuman senses.
The audience watched the performance with amazement while Alex, on the other hand, saw so much potential if he were to wield these…"Vigors". If he was powerful before, just wait until he gets tentacles on one of those Vigors and combine it with his Blacklight powers.
He could have Electric-Claws, Burning-Whipfist or maybe even Fire-Hammerfists. The possibilities were endless.
However, Vigors could be a potential threat. If a bunch of actors were paid to advertise them, there was a high chance that the soldiers here had something even more potent than the ones you could easily buy.
He wanted to consume one of the actors so he could get his powers but there were too many witnesses and it didn't look they were going to be done any time soon.
Don't get him wrong. He wouldn't bat an eye if some citizens get caught in the crossfire but starting a ruckus will alert that Comstock character to his presence. And he guessed that staying under the prick's radar would let him reach his goal faster.
He moved on and made his way to the fair. He ignored the numerous stands that were giving away free food and drinks and the row of games as he moved.
Alex froze when he saw the "Guardian".
A giant of a man stood on top of the stage while flexing his tremendous muscles for the whole audience to see. He was covered in thick bronze armor while he wore a blue coat over it. The crowd cheered as the man lifted a massive barbell over his head.
(AN: Just imagine a combination of a Super Soldier from Prototype and a Handyman.)
The Prototype activated his Infected Vision to confirm his suspicions. True to what he assumed, the man was infected by a variant of the Blacklight Virus, which was most likely the source for all of his strength.
He didn't know what he should be more wary about: fighting D-code Soldiers again or the existence of the Virus here in Columbia.
The tension increased in his biomass when he made eye contact with the Guardian. The man narrowed his eyes at him as if he could see through his disguise. Considering that the Super Soldiers of Blackwatch had built-in viral scanners, it could be the case.
A bright flash of a camera distracted the Columbian Super Soldier, giving Mercer enough time to slip away from the crowd.
"Hey Mister!" a sultry looking saleslady called out to him. The woman was carrying a basket full of bottles that he recognized as Vigors. He grabbed a bottle and chugged it down the moment he heard: "free sample".
He waited for the Vigor to work its magic and give him a new power but instead his biomass immediately began to reject the foreign substance. He had to expel the Vigor along with some of his biomass through his mouth. To a normal human, it would look like he was throwing up his lunch.
"Are you alright, sir?" the lady looked at him in concern.
Of course he wasn't "alright". It was like he drank a bottle of bloodtox with a side of the parasite that the Specialist, Cross, injected him with.
Inwardly, he was grimacing but on the outside, he gave the woman a small reassuring smile.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I was expecting to get a new power. Not that."
"I'm so sorry, sir," the woman placed the basket down and handed him a handkerchief, which he accepted to look grateful.
"Something like this never happened to anyone before well except for…" she trailed off, lost in thought.
"You mean this did happen to someone before?" he asked, snapping the woman out of her thoughts. He might find out the reason why his body rejected the Vigor if he knew this.
"Well, the same thing occurred whenever one of the Guardians tries to take in another Vigor."
"Do you know why?"
"All I know is that the Vigor used to changed a person into a Guardian prevents other Vigors from taking effect," she shrugged.
"I see," he nodded in understanding as the many scientists within his head theorized that the virus in a Guardian prevented them from getting the powers of Vigors. Being a product of the same virus, Alex was no exception to the rule.
Drinking them straight up was a no go but maybe consuming someone that does wield a Vigor could give him the desired results. He couldn't wait to find out.
"Again, I'm really sorry about this," she continued, before taking out a card, "So let me make it up to you."
"Here, this is a free ticket to the raffle later," she handed it to him, "Just show it to the automaton stationed at the gate and it will let you pass."
"Much obliged, ma'am," the Prototype in disguise thanked her as he took the ticket from her.
He approached the gate with the robotic vending machine blocking it. The automaton quickly let him through once he showed the ticket. On the other side was a small courtyard and standing before him was the man and woman from before. The man held a chalkboard with a Heads/Tails tally mark written on it while the woman held a silver plate with a coin on it.
Remembering the dip in the ocean, Alex had to make a conscious effort to reel in his biomass. He didn't want to cause a scene. Yet.
"Greetings, Dr. Mercer. Let us properly introduce ourselves. My name is Robert Lutece and this is my sister, Rosalind Lutece," the man told him in a monotone voice, "Which side will you choose? Heads?"
"Or tails?" said the woman as she tossed the coin to him.
He caught the penny and squeezed it with his superhuman strength. He let the crumpled piece of metal fall to the ground. He then crushed it further by stomping his foot on top of it.
"Go fuck yourselves," was the answer that he gave them.
"There is no need for such vulgar language," the woman frowned, looking a tad bit insulted. Mercer mentally cheered at eliciting a reaction out of the expressionless woman.
"I expected much more from someone of your profession, Dr. Mercer," Robert nodded in agreement with his twin.
"Tell that to someone who gives a fuck," the scientist-turned-viral abomination retorted, "Just tell me what's so special about this girl if you willing to hire me to bring her to you."
"You will eventually uncover that bit of information yourself," Rosalind told him.
"And to be frank, you were not our first choice," the man added, "And you were not the first one that we tasked to retrieve the girl either."
"I'm actually interested in what kind of people you hired before me," Alex admitted, truly curious since he wasn't the twins' first choice.
"Oh, just an ex-Pinkerton agent." (Booker DeWitt)
"An Assassin from an ancient order." (Andrew Daniels[OC] from The False Shepherds by Andrew Auditore)
"A supposedly deceased superhero." (Kid Flash from Limitless by StarKnight2.0)
"A demi-god." (Percy Jackson from Vigorous Restitution by TheDaedricPrinceOfCrossovers)
"And don't forget about the cyborg ninja." (Raiden from Metal Gear Rising: Infinite by yours truly)
(AN: Look these stories or the authors up if you want to check them out later.)
"A demi-god and a cyborg what now?" the Prototype repeated, not sure if he heard the last one right.
He understood why they hired an ex-Pinkerton agent and an assassin because of their skillset. Hell, even the thing about the dead superhero made sense to him. But a demi-god and a cyborg ninja were kind of pushing it.
"Never mind. I don't wanna know," he raised a hand to stop the twins from continuing. He sighed before continuing, "Is there anything else I should know?"
"We will offer you aid in your quest," Rosalind said, "However, we can only offer support from behind the scenes. You will have to do the rest on your own with your…abilities being your guide."
"And do try to keep Columbia mostly intact while you're at it. If the structural integrity receives too much damage, what keeps it afloat will cease to function," Robert said, "Even though you can survive the destruction, you could at least put some effort to prevent that."
"One more thing you should keep in mind."
"What's that?" Mercer asked.
"You should avoid consuming anyone that possesses a Vigor."
"Why is that?" he frowned.
"As far as the Blacklight Virus is concerned, any DNA altered by Vigors is considered rubbish and shall be swiftly removed."
"So that means your unique physiology prevents Vigors from working on you."
"Aw, I was looking forward to shooting out lightning from my hands," he lowered his head in disappointment.
"Chin up, Dr. Mercer," he felt soft slim fingers flick his chin up, "You now have an opportunity to explore your own powers and use them in new ways."
"There wasn't a need for you to upgrade your powers during your travels like in Outbreak but that didn't stop your body from evolving. From adapting."
'Hmm, interesting," he commented, wondering what were latest abilities that he developed. He stared at his hand as he thought about it. His body still continued to evolve and making him even more superior to humanity.
Over time, he noticed some changes to his abilities. His speed and agility had increased exponentially, allowing him to glide longer and jump over tall buildings with a single bound. His armor became thicker yet doesn't hinder his agility anymore. He could now simultaneously produce two shields that were strong enough to endure any attack. He also developed a mysterious yet potent viral sonar sense, which allows him to pinpoint a target in crowded area.
It seemed that he was truly the Apex Predator.
"Now how am I-what the?" he turned back to the twins, as he was about to ask them how was he supposed to reach his destination only to find no one there.
"So that's what it feels like," Alex Mercer said to himself, recalling all the other times that he appeared and disappeared without warning in front of others. No wonder Dana found it annoying.
He walked down the cobblestone walkway. He made sure to keep the angel-shaped tower in sight so he would know if he was going the right way or not.
As he passed by a couple of police officers, he saw that one of them had a device attached to his arm with three hooks on the end that was whirling like a saw blade. It looked like some kind of weapon but he didn't really see the practical use that it had in battle so there must be more to it than it appeared to be.
Memories surged to his mind, showing him what the device was used for.
The device was called a Sky-Hook. Sky-Hooks are powerfully magnetized to the freight hooks and Sky-Lines in Columbia, allowing their users to make death-defying leaps from point-to-point with the knowledge that they will automatically latch on. Additionally, the Sky-Hook's bladed scoops and rotary motor allow it to be used as a lethal melee weapon.
The Prototype certainly saw how useful the Sky-Hook could be but he personally thought his method of traveling was a lot more efficient.
However, the design of the Sky-Hook gave him an idea to incorporate its bladed scoops and rotary motion to his Whipfist should he ever have to use one.
Remembering what the twins said about experimenting with his powers, he jumped to a rooftop to experiment with no witnesses. With a mental flick, he dismissed the man's skin and let his hooded façade shimmer back into place. The biomass in his right arm shifted to a thin, flexible, blade-edged arm with two blades that were capable of grabbing people and objects at the end. He tried to alter the biomass at the end to mimic the Sky-Hook. After a few minutes of biomass transforming to fit what he had in mind, he was rewarded with a success.
Like all of the other weapons that he created from his body, the Sky-Hookfist had an organic look to it. He willed the three hooks to twirl and he was pleased to see that it worked. He may not be able to imitate the magnets of a Sky-Hook but stretching his arm up to long distances compensated for it.
Transforming back into his disguise, he dropped down and continued on the path until he saw a large group of civilians heading through an archway at the end of the path. He decided to follow them at a safe distance to find out what was going on.
He stopped in front of a sign that was set up in front if the doorway leading to where they were gathering when he reached it.
"The Guardians protect us from the False Shepard," was what the sign said. The sign showed three Guardians battling against a mass of red and black tentacles.
The man whose skin that Alex was currently wearing provided him more information about this "False Shepard" business.
The False Shepard was a demon that could take the form of anyone it eats and only a Guardian could see through its disguise.
Its preferred human form was a man with a hood over his head, giving him the appearance of the Grim Reaper. The image of the False Shepard's human form eerily looked like Alex Mercer in his default form.
It wasn't a coincidence that image in the man's memories and his face almost looked the same. It was as if they knew that the viral monster was coming. He had to stay in disguise for he speculated nothing good would happen if people saw the real. Why else would they have a sign to warn the citizens of what would be for them the coming of the Anti-Christ?
Wait a minute, people always reacted badly whenever he reveals his powers in public. So why should he be worried again?
"It doesn't matter," Alex shrugged before going through the entryway. He arrived at a small park before stopping in front of a stage where a man was speaking to a large audience. It appeared to be a raffle with everyone wanted to test their luck today.
He wanted to slip by the crowd unnoticed but there were too many people so he had to be very careful with his strength lest he bumped into someone.
He had to resist growling at the many people touching him. He was made to assimilate humans and it was almost painful to remain calm with this many warm and appetizing bodies pressing against him.
"What's the rush, handsome?" he heard a young woman say beside him.
He turned to see a young woman holding a basket, which was filled with baseballs, while smiling sweetly and fluttering her eyelashes for some reason.
"The raffle is just starting. Don't you feel lucky?" she said to him.
"Sure do," he happily declared, maintaining his cover as a Columbian citizen as he grabbed a baseball.
It turned out that each ball had a number on them. Normally, the contestants would pick a card with a random number on it in a raffle but here it was a baseball.
He turned the ball that he drew over to see a bright red seventy-seven on it. His eyes widened as he recalled the telegram that warned him not to pick number seventy-seven. It wasn't a password or a sequence but a number for a raffle.
Alex had half a mind to get rid of the ball but the other half (the one that remembered the dip in the ocean) wanted to keep it with him just to spite the twins.
The latter won in the end after an internal debate with himself.
He casually tossed the ball into the air and caught it as the man on the stage asked for a bowl filled with small slips of paper.
"Is that not the prettiest young white girl in all of Columbia? Ha ha!" the speaker said to the audience as a young attractive woman walked on stage.
Alex had to admit that the woman did look like "the prettiest young white girl in all of Columbia" but he had honestly seen better.
"Alright then, the winner is…" said the man as he reached into the bowl and pulled out a piece of paper, "Number 77!"
"Yeah!" the Prototype cheered, still pretending to be the overenthusiastic citizen that his disguise used to be. He raised the ball up high and cheered as loudly as he can.
If he ever decided to get a job that doesn't involve science, people getting killed or both, he could easily become an actor and win an Oscar or two.
"Number 77, come forward and claim your prize!" the man shouted as the crowd practically pushed him to the stage. He stood in front of the stage as the curtains behind the stage opened.
What he saw behind the curtains left him speechless. A fake jungle scenery was revealed and opened up as a white man and a black woman that were tied up were brought to the front.
"First throw! First Throw! First Throw!" the people behind him chanted.
He had to fight off a sigh to what was happening. Humans will never cease to disappoint him. Funny, one of the reasons that he took the job was to restore his faith in humanity.
"Well, son? Are you going to throw it…or are you taking your coffee black these days?" he asked as he laughed loudly at his own racist joke with many others joining him.
He couldn't care less for the interracial couple but he couldn't deny that a public stoning was greatly frowned upon in most societies. Or at least back where he's from.
"Well if you insist," he smirked as he pulled his arm back in preparation to throw the ball. There was something about the man's face that just pisses him off so it irked the bioweapon when the man was telling him what to do. This man wanted Alex Mercer to throw the damn ball so he was going to do just that. But he didn't specify whom he should throw it at.
Before he could throw the ball at the announcer, a huge hand wrapped around his wrist and applied enough pressure to break the bone if he was human. He turned his head to the side and saw the massive form of a Guardian holding his arm.
"I can see through your mask, False Shepard!" the super soldier spat, tightening his grip on his wrist.
Everyone in the audience gasped at the revelation and stepped back as a group of cops arrived. They surrounded him and aimed their guns at him. Alex merely stared at them with an air of indifference.
"I ain't letting no False Shepard into our flock!" the man exclaimed, making the crowd boom with agreement. He looked down at the police officers with a sadistic grin, "Show him what we got planned for him, boys!"
Alex Mercer didn't give them the chance to as he grabbed the arm of the Guardian and threw him over his shoulder. The Columbian super soldier slammed onto the ground, making everyone else tumble. He followed it up with a kick to the big man's side that launched him back. Some police officers and civilians were crushed by the Guardian's form falling on top of them.
"That all you got?" Alex taunted, crossing his arms. The Guardian picked himself back up and pounded his fists in response.
"Good," he smirked before his skin rippled and pulsed and tendrils swarmed across him. Then he stood there in the hooded form of Alex Mercer for all to see. He let his arms reshaped themselves into claws, idly hearing the screams of fear, "I would be disappointed if it was."
Without another word, they charged at each other. One had a fist raised while the other had claws outstretched.
Alex ducked under the punch and swiped at the Guardian's side, leaving four deep gashes that leaked blood. He shifted his body to avoid a backhand blow and slip past his enemy's guard. He then latched onto his larger foe's shoulders and began hacking away with his claws.
The Guardian eventually threw him off. But Alex righted himself in midair with an air recovery maneuver while replacing his claws for the Whipfist. Still not touching the ground, he shot out the extendable appendage, making it latch itself onto the Guardian's chest. With a sharp tug, he pulled himself toward his target and slammed both feet on the super soldier's face, knocking both of them to the ground and creating a crater.
The Columbian super soldier looked like he was about to collapse from his injuries, but Alex Mercer wasn't done with him yet as changed his arms into claws again.
The Prototype jammed both claws into Guardian's chest and lifted him over his head as feeder tentacles stabbed into him. With an inhuman roar, he spread his arms apart, ripping the Guardian in half in the process while his tendrils consumed what was left of him.
After absorbing the super soldier's DNA, his body began to violently ripple and pulse. This was his first time successfully consuming a super soldier so the new sample of genetic material gave him a surge of energy that he associated to when his powers evolve.
"Hell yeah!" he exclaimed as the sudden rush of power ended. He noted that his claws were longer and sharper while his arms had glowing red veins on them.
"That was a tasty snack," he commented, turning to face the remaining police officers with upgraded claws spread-out, "Though, I'm still feeling a bit hungry."
Time to go to work.