AN: Sorry for the VERY long wait! Thank you to all my reviewers, I am glad you're enjoying it thus far!

Sam had long since stopped screaming.

Naturally he'd vomited a further twice trying to get his bearings, and once he realised he was literally grasped within the paw of the same Leader Hunter who'd flipped his Tank and caused him to black out, he'd screamed until his throat must have been red raw. His head was spinning; he was fighting the urge to vomit again from the stench of the thing and it felt like a rollercoaster on acid.

"Kill me or something; please just make it stop..." He muttered over and over again as he felt himself flying – it jumped a street most likely – before the madness came to an abrupt halt. He felt the pressure around his chest lifted as the paw unfurled and dropped him unceremoniously onto the hard brick. He grunted from the impact and almost immediately was scrabbling back on his hands and knees to try and get AWAY from this damn thing before it changed its mind. Who knew why it hadn't killed him? Fuck, why was he even thinking about it?

It towered over him, and he noted it had no eyes. A rather stupid thing to notice considering it could rip him in two with a single swipe, but it was merely observing him in a way it hadn't when it'd captured him. Like something else was looking through it instead – the effect was creepy enough without it being through a monster.

He scrambled back now and bolted for the access stairway. Almost casually it used its massive paw to knock him down – the same paw that could crush titanium armour and break every bone in someone's body – with enough force to merely knock the wind out of him. He hit the concrete hard face first and scraped the skin off his cheek, causing him to try and cry out in pain. Instead he didn't make sound and only further deprived himself of oxygen. As he flopped around like a fish the Leader Hunter simply stared down at him, silent but for the heaving of its massive chest, almost amused.

"W-why?" Sam stammered out weakly, looking up at the infected monstrosity. "Why me? Why haven't you killed me? Why did you carry me all this way?"

Sam had thought he'd well and truly lost his mind. He was talking to something the size of a bus that had just killed his squad and clearly didn't understand what he was saying. He was probably infected anyway from all the shit in the air, or this thing was gonna eat him, or-

"You are different, Sam Bowler."

Every single muscle in Sam froze. His gaze shifted back up to the Creature, who seemed to sense something he didn't. Maybe it heard the voices, too? Or maybe he really had gone insane. The voice was inside his head, no-one had spoken. Fuck, no-one was AROUND to speak. No-one but Fluffy here, and he wasn't the talkative type.

"Who-" He tried to force himself to speak

"You can call me... Mother" It replied, almost amused – Sam picked up on the fact it was clearly female, too. The Leader Hunter shifted, almost nervously, claws extending and sinking into the brick. That only made Sam more nervous, because clearly this thing, this woman, was respected or... something.

"Are you why..."

"My child did not kill you like the others?" Mother replied

Sam nodded slightly to himself, insanely thinking Mother could actually see him. Her chuckle made him jump, because apparently she could. He glanced up to the sky, and for the first time again noticed it was the colour of blood.

"Quite. I desired you to live, because you are indeed special, Sam. Far more than you could ever know."

"Are you infected?" Sam asked cautiously - a stupid question perhaps, but one the private felt he should ask anyway.

"Full of questions are we?" She replied, almost teasingly "But yes, you could say that."

"So..." Sam asked, feeling just a little bit more at ease now "How am I special? I'm just a normal guy... or I was until your 'child' picked me up and carried me off like King Kong." He snorted, shaking his head slightly. He glanced up and noted the Leader was looking away, down onto the street – something must have caught its attention.

"Oh, I shall not divulge the details to you. After all, you are in no way my equal or worthy of knowing exactly why I have chosen you, simply that I have. Would you rather I simply had you turned into one of the more mindless creatures below?" Mother asked simply, and Sam was very quick to shake his head and mutter an apology. It really was insane.

Yeah, good work Sam, question the woman keeping you alive. He spat inwardly and continued to watch the Hunter. It was flexing and tensing, and above the sounds of a large battle - as usual in such an infected zone – Sam couldn't figure out what had attracted it so.

"Tell me, Sam. What do you know of Alex Mercer?" Mother asked her tone curious now.

"A...Alex Mercer?" He paused, thinking

"Ah, I forgot you codename him. Zeus I believe? But yes, they are one in the same."

"Not much... I've not been here long. But I know that he's highly dangerous and is top priority when sighted... He can change his appearance to be anyone, he can morph his body. That's all we got briefed with." He replied and the laughed echoed in his head.

"He can do so much more, Sam. But you see, everything that is sent to counter him fails, doesn't it? Even my child here, others like it, have all fallen to him. It is hard work crafting yourself to something that never has a fixed shape." Mother chuckled.

"And I'm... part of this?" Sam stammered, going more nervous by the second. He could tell something was going to happen, and something he wouldn't like.

"Yes." Mother replied, before adding "Oh, you can name my child if you wish."

"Why, Mother?" Sam whispered his voice cracking.

"Because you're going to be reborn, and it will be with you when I cannot."

"R... Reborn?" He whispered, as a shadow descended, blocking out the sun.

Sam glanced up in time to see the massive paw of the Leader Hunter disembowel him before his world fell into nothing.