Chapter 6 - Escape and Talks
Hunger…
It was hungry…
Its form was a mess…
It needs to feed…
No, more than that…
Its master was in danger...
These fakers, they dare to challenge the rightful host, the progenitor…
They must pay, they must PAY for their insolence!
Use your Biomass, shape yourself… grow…
Show these foolish fakes just what a REAL Blacklight construct can do!
The moment that it happened, everyone in the observation room went all crazy in a mix of screaming and shouting of orders. Alarms blared to life, filling the air with their sounds like the virulent mutagen assaulting Manhattan, as the other gates were opened, the other infected specimens being released. But that was not what Adam had his attention on right now, his eyes were on the large creature that had his prey pinned under a foot, hissing at it in warning: one false move wand it was game over.
It stood 12 feet tall, with a cylindrical head that had no facial features save for a lipless mouth of jagged fangs. On the back of its head was what looked like some sort of crest, or a crown as if to say that it was royalty. Its appearance was quite thin, almost skeletal, black colored chitin skin covered it, while there were bits of dark green here and there. There were a pair of small spindly arms growing out its chest, while the main arms were as long as a Tank's barrel, ending in lethal looking chitin claws consisting of 2 middle fingers and 2 opposable thumbs each. Out its tailbone was a Tail longer than a Tank, with a segmented skeletal appearance with a dark green blade for a tip, dark green spikes growing out each segment. Out its back were a pair of large black dragon wings, each with dark green pulsating veins, while its lower body was reverse jointed and slim, ending in 3 toed feet.
The creature hissed as the infected specimens were advancing upon it, uncaring about the prisoner it had trapped. The creature glanced to where Adam was, and the male froze, its piercing gaze directed only at him, as if it had no acknowledgement of their upcoming attackers.
This stare-down lasted for several seconds but to him, it felt like an eternity. Its gaze not only was sharp, but it felt like it was puncturing every barrier, every defensive wall he had built to control himself, right down to the chaotic soul within him. It was not a nice feeling.
'Is this what it's like, for those humans whom I killed, when they faced off against me?' Adam wondered, feeling unusually small and… vulnerable when staring down this beast. Blacklight didn't like feeling inferior, especially to beasts like these, but it also was cautious, it was aware that this thing wasn't like the ordinary infected. It made sure to inform its host that he should be wary like it was, but Adam didn't need to be told twice, his instincts had already screamed this at him.
'Progenitor… We shall meet again…'
That was weird. Adam's eyes bulged in shock when he heard something new in his head, a soft, feminine and motherly voice. It echoed within his mind, filling him with a soft flame of warmth, something he hadn't felt for so long. Wait… had he ever felt such an emotion from his mother? Adam didn't know, his memories of the past had become heavily blurred significantly ever since his infection, replaced by nothing but the spewing blood of his victims as he cut, crushed or consumed.
But then the cold bitch that was called reality came knocking. Instincts kicked in and Adam blinked, quickly rolling out the way of a Brawler as it tried to pounce on him and take his head off. The creature shrieked in furious rage before its Tail lunged and speared it through the side, earning a howl of pain from the other Infected. Those howls increased as the impaled Brawler's body began to literally MELT into a liquid right before Adam's very eyes, leaving him slack jawed. He could see how the creature's expression resembled a deranged patient in a mental asylum being tormented with electric shocks or having pieces of its flesh being burnt to a crisp. The other infected paused their attack, growling and roaring as they recoiled in primal fear at he sight, their instincts telling them to not attack if they valued their lives. Some even got toppled when their brethren fell onto them, but thanks to them being Blacklight, they weren't killed by dogpiling.
The melted Brawler's flesh then was sucked INSIDE the Tail, which almost seemed to... shudder in euphoric pleasure. The creature itself just hissed in matching pleasure, before turning towards the rest of them. It gave a threatening hiss, flexing its claws menacingly before getting on all fours and spreading its wings. Its body began to tremble, crackling sounds emitting from its form as the creature hissed and growled, eyeing the infected with the look all mother's give their children when they've been naughty. Only this look, it held the undertone of the sin of crackling sounds gradually got more intense, rising in volume more and more, while everyone watched with baited breath. Waiting to see what it could do... not a smart move, especially when it finally let loose a wild, free-sounding howl.
SPLATTER, LUNGE, SCHLUCK!
The Infected weren't, or rather they couldn't, be prepared for the dozens upon DOZENS of Tendrils that suddenly erupted from the creature's body like a big mass of gore erupting into a massive volcanic explosion.
The Tendrils flew with the speed and finesse of actual bullets, piercing and hooking around the limbs of those it had caught. Only a few had managed to evade them, and that was because they used their comrades as literal shields. This allowed them to protect themselves while leaving their comrades to the Mercy of the Tendrils.
Said Tendrils shivered before they began retracting back inside the wings, roughly pulling in the Infected they had caught towards it. They each tried in vain to break the Tendrils' hold on them, but to no avail for the Tendrils dug deep into their bodies and latched into them down to the very bone, making escape impossible. As they became close enough to be skewered by its Tail, the captured creatures began to suffer the same fate that the Brawler had before, melting as they were sucked into the wings with the Tendrils.
With the Infected slurped up with some horrific sounds being emitted from the wings, the creature hummed in pleasure, before turning to the door and stomping towards it. Adam watched in surprise when he saw how it slammed its Tail into the centre of the door and pull upwards, tearing the large metallic door off its hinges and then tossing it aside like it was yesterday's garbage.
The door slammed into the side of a wall, leaving a massive dent in it and filling the dent with its form, cracks spreading from the sides of the door which showed just how great the force of impact it had on the wall.
It stomped through to the next room on the other side, where whole lines of Blackwatch soldiers armed with Rifles and Rocket Launchers awaited it. They quickly opened fire upon the command of someone speaking through a speaker, a hailstorm of bullets and rockets slamming into the creature's body.
However, this only served to agitate the creature as it stormed forwards, swatting aside the soldiers like ragdolls, spearing some with its claws and doing the same thing it did to them like it did with its wings and Tail, melting and absorbing the enemies it captured in its claws. Any weapons or gadgets were also absorbed, as it made its way to the other end and shoulder tackled it, creating a hole that led outside. Walking through it, the creature barrelled its way through the defences, making off deep into the depths of the city under the cover of darkness.
There... It had done it!
It had shown those foolish mongrels just what it means to be a Blacklight being!
Now, it must leave!
It must build, it must prepare!
The Progenitor will require its assistance thought its journey.
It must be ready.
Standing there dumbstruck was not going to do him any favors, but it wasn't like he could help it, Adam had just literally seen an infected creature he hadn't ever witnessed before, and likely Blackwatch hadn't either considering their reactions to it, save his life and create an opening to escape into the night, leaving nothing but carnage and remnants of Blackwatch forces in its wake. 'A walking nightmare' summed his thoughts on the situation pretty well.
"Okay, is it just me, or did we just see a 12-foot fucking Xeno-fucker come outta nowhere?"
"Now you know how I feel when we see things like this, Heller."
His eyes blinked as he regained his focus and composure. Everything came back to him, like time had once again restarted after this little display ended. That's right, they still had to get out of here, Adam rationalized, forcing his mind to calm down. Plus, he had to deal with those two until they had escaped this place. For now, though, they were allies. While they were indeed strangers, Adam saw from their battles that they were in a similar situation to him, and if he was honest with himself, Adam liked that. He liked that he wasn't the only one of his kind anymore, not counting Mercer.
Turning to them, Adam shot them both stern looks. "Whatever the case may be, its given us a way out. We should take it, then split up so Blackwatch can't follow all of us." He advised them. Splitting up seemed like the best option right now. True people may think them sticking together since they were of the same kind and were in the same situation, but in Adam's mind, he didn't see two strangers as trustworthy. How could he? Not in this world, where one has to be wary of others intending to kill or rob him of what little he has left.
James looked to his fellow Marine, mentally he liked that idea, since he wanted fucking answers from Mercer on what the fuck had happened to him. The kid too, but if he had to choose one, it would be getting answers from Mercer. It wasn't like the kid would tell them much right now anyways, just look a how he introduced himself.
It wasn't like the kid trusted them, and unlike Mercer he could tell this surprised the kid just as much as it did them. He seemed… easier to read than that asshole. Not in the sense that Adam was an open book, but more from his subtle mannerisms and quirks. He'd noticed as clear as day that he didn't favour them too highly, he would twitch his fingers and jaw in ways indicating that he wanted to be anywhere but here, and that he could understand. "Alright Kid, but when we meet again, we expect some answers." He told the boy, whose eyes narrowed sharply at him.
The younger male would have sharply retorted him, however he held his tongue. This wasn't the time to be arguing, not when his instincts told him to quickly get the fuck out of here while they still could. No telling what kind of twisted experiments those Blackwatch assholes had cooked up for them. Staying here longer than necessary... not a good idea.
With that in mind, Adam sprang into action first, leaving the other two in the dust as he slipped into a familiar, yet oddly comforting at a time like this, mindset. He picked up the survivors via smell, and frowned to himself when he looked to the observation glass which was now showing nobody. 'So, it appears Rooks and Riley have gotten away. Cowards.' the male thought in condescension, Tendrils rippling over him. They must have used the confusion to make their escape, while all eyes were on that other creature that came out of nowhere...
Why the hell did he feel like that wasn't the case at all?
'Alright, time to leave and plan out my next move…' Adam thought while barreling through the wreckage of the base. It would be safe to compare him to a rhino at that moment. James and Sophie quickly jumped to the Observation room, splitting up from the male's position, not like he cared. They could do whatever they wanted, plus with things are the way they are, Adam felt that they would likely meet again.
They WERE of the same species after all.
He saw several Blackwatch soldiers near the hole to the outside, having scrambled back to their feet from the recent breakout, wielding Rocket Launchers with several Assault Rifles scattered around them, and his smirk widened into a full blow grin. His eyes positively shined with predatory glee, the sight more than enough for him to act. It could be considered a predator stumbling upon what remains of another animal's attack, deciding to feast on the spoils as a result.
Jumping through the connecting corridor to the other room, Adam reared his arms back just as one of the soldiers turned around. He couldn't see the man's face, thanks to that weird looking gas mask he wore, but the teen could imagine the paling skin tone, the slack jaw, and the 'oh shit' look in his eyes as Adam struck with the force of a thousand bullets.
Throwing his arms forwards, the teen's arms shuddered and rippled, like they were each their own being. Then, shot from the sleeves of his hoodie were dozens of long sharp Tendrils, each with smaller branch shaped ones sticking out. They moved through the air with the speed of bullets, making reacting i time for the solders a silly pipe dream. They impaled every soldier through the chest or back, while the branch Tendrils scooped the Assault Rifles into their grasp.
Tendrils latched onto them from these bigger ones, their screams alerting the rest of the base to Adam's escape attempt as they were consumed, their Rocker Launchers being caught in mid-air by his Tendrils. These Tendrils then ripped these rockets to their tiniest components, before proceeding to consume them.
Normally, viruses can't consume inorganic matter like technology or man-made structures. That was once the case with Adam's Blacklight Virus, until he figured out a way to do so. By coating his Tendrils in a thin, practically invisible layer of special acids, these Tendrils had an easier time breaking metals down to their basic components.
Metals, even though man shaped them, were still made from the earth, which meant they were organic, and could be consumed. It helped that these acids helped break these metals down for consumption purposes. They could also aid in organic matter consumption too, speeding up the process significantly.
As the rockets got consumed, Adam saw an M1 Abrams Tank roll out into the path of the hole leading to the outside. it honestly felt like one of those 'surprise, motherfucker!' situations as his eyes found themselves fixated onto its main gun;s barrel. The Blackwatch base seemed significantly crowded, with four Longbow Gunships escorting two Blackhawk transport Helicopters. Adam could sense that there were Blackwatch soldiers inside, prepping to be dropped down to reinforce the base defenses.
He didn't get much of a chance to think however, as a M830 HEAT high explosive anti-tank round was fired at his face, intending to blow him apart. However, Adam retracted his Tendrils and tilted his head to the side, avoiding the shell by mere inches. Also, noteworthy during this, he never broke eye contact with the Tank's main gun, even as the shell exploded somewhere behind him. if there were any reinforcements behind him, RIP. They'd be shredded by the blast itself, nevermind the shockwaves that rippled through the air.
'Now, how to destroy that Tank… my claws won't be very useful in penetrating its Armour. They can, but it would take too long, and I'm kind of pressed for time. So…' An idea jumped into Adam's head, one that involved the usage of that new weapon he had developed during this whole incident. 'Maybe I can use that! Hmm, wonder what to call it…'
While he wondered what to call his newest weapon, Adam felt Blacklight applying the weapon's genetic blueprint to his right arm, resulting in its transformation into the weapon Adam had specified. Soldiers on the ground physically recoiled at the sight of the lethal looking Tendril mass, raising their Rifles to try and shoot it out of instinctual need for survival. However, the Tendrils that made up the weapon easily deflected the rounds, not suffering the slightest bit of damage.
With a smirk on his lips, Adam thrusted the weapon forwards, allowing it to do its thing. The Abrams Tank strafed backwards, its gattling Gun unloading a constant stream of rounds into the weapon while its Main Turret gun hastily reloaded its next round, launching it soon after.
The collision shook the entire base, and Adam winced. He could feel how that round did more then a small amount of damage to his weapon, several pieces of destroyed Tendrils falling to the ground below. However, this didn't stop it from doing its assigned task as Adam watched it lunge forwards like an enraged animal, grabbing the Tank by its main Gun's barrel first, then its hood, and finally the entire thing was engulfed in its embrace.
More Tendrils erupted from the mass, lunging at the Gunships which tried to fire missiles at it as well as their Machine Guns. However, they were both impaled and crushed at the same time by the Tendrils, some having sliced their projectile ammunition at high speeds while the rest destroyed the Gunships. The Transports tried to flee with their loads, but in the end the Tendrils ensnared them as well before they could even leave the base's walls. They soon met the same fate as the Gunships.
With the Gunships and Blackhawk Transports destroyed, the Tendrils retracted into the main mass, ignoring the bullet hell unloaded on them by the remaining Blackwatch forced as Adam swiftly commanded the mass to crush the Tank within its embrace. It did, and a loud BOOM was heard through the base, the male feeling the heat belonging to the ensuing explosion within the mass.
… Yeah, that's what he would call it: the Massfist.
He felt it break down and consume the Tanks' remains, groaning at the feeling of power flowing through him before he snapped himself out of his pleasured stupor. He still had to go, he had to get out of Blackwatch's sight. Needless killing would be counterproductive in the long run, since they WERE responsible for fighting the Outbreak despite his grievances with them. Since the big targets had been taken out, he had no need to be here anymore.
With that in mind, Adam retracted his Massfist and curled it around himself, like a ball. Blackwatch soldiers raised their weapons to fire, in case he tried anything, but it would end up for naught when the Massfist swung so fast that it released a large wave of air. This air blast succeeded in blowing them across the base, slamming them into the walls around it with enough force to knock them out.
While they were like that, Adam shot the Massfist towards a wall facing the interior of the Yellow Zone, digging its various tips into it. The male then let it drag him towards it and propel him over the wall, the male flying through the air and into the city's depths.
His flight, short as it was, landed him in the middle of Oakhurst, in the middle of a small park. It was night time, with the stars twinkling like tiny lights in the darkness, so there were few citizens in the area, and those that were there quickly left in a panic when they saw someone shoot towards the ground and crash there.
As the smoke faded, it revealed the teenage male in a kneeling position, with his Massfist curled around him as a protective cloak. Slowly, he stood up as his Massfist reverted to a human arm, his head hanging low. The male breathed in and out quite hard, his breaths shaky and unfocused.
TREMBLE, TREMBLE...
"Ugh... #slump#"
However, the last few moments came back to him like a flood. It didn't take him long to fall to his knees again, though he managed to use his arms as support by putting them on the ground in front of him, allowing Adam to put his weight on them. His eyes closed as beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. His mouth slightly open as he panted audibly from the recent experience. 'U-Ugh… looks like… using the Massfist takes a lot out of me…' the male thought to himself, mentally reaching deep within for his Biomass reserves. Back before using the Massfist they had been at 80% capacity, if he had consumed some more infected, perhaps he would have reached 100%.
However, now they were at 45%. Just under half.
Jesus... that thing definitely drained him.
He would have to train himself in how to properly use it, the teen theorized. Back when he got his claws, they too took a lot of Biomass to form, the first time he tried to will them into existence he had made the mistake of not having much Biomass to begin with, and had almost fallen unconscious from the lack of it. Though, it had resulted in him nearly going mad like he did before waking up in that Blackwatch facility he just escaped. Hence, his reluctance on using his powers.
To have so little Biomass was like being stranded in a desert with every bit of your body dehydrated for those of his kind, that Adam had discovered the hard way. In addition to that, one would have a constant headache that almost threatened to split their skulls, while every cell in the body would feel like they were being gripped in a vice. He had since then made sure to keep his reserves high so he wouldn't have to worry about that sensation ever again.
Through training by repeatedly shifting and reverting between his claws and human arms, Adam had managed to tone down the amount of Biomass that was required for that particular mutation to form. Something told him that the Massfist would require a similar training method, so perhaps he should-
A presence was detected, one that made his viral instincts go for a merry go round within his being. They screeched and shrieked, screaming at him to get away from this presence, even more so than Mercer. His eyes bulged open, shock and a slight fear in them as his heart began to thump wildly within the contents of his ribcage. His face twisted to one of irritation quickly, though. 'Great, just great, now I have to worry about something else. What, is it going to be another Infected?'
Blacklight's instincts were… interesting, Adam had observed. During his time under the radar, the male had performed multiple experiments, tested his abilities, and what he came up with was that Blacklight's Instincts functioned like a warning system.
They'd warn him when he was near an absurdly powerful enemy nearby, where there was Infected close to him, and generally helped keep him alive way better than a human's instincts. A human's instincts could be sharpened through time, blood, sweat, tears and training.
On the other hand, Blacklight Instincts were constantly at their highest, like an ever-sharp blade.
Whoever was making his Instincts go crazy like this had to be someone POWERFUL, stronger than Mercer at least. The thought sent shudders of dread through his spine, the thought of someone more powerful than the one who caused such a lethal Virus Outbreak was not something he'd like to go up against. Especially with how low his Biomass reserves were.
Nevertheless, Adam hadn't survived this long on his own by being a wimp. He would face this threat with his head held high and his eyes like cold steel, just like everything else. So, with those thoughts in mind, Adam steeled his nerves and stood up, turning towards the source of the presence with his ever-emotionless gaze on full blast. His panic and other conflicting emotions were stored away deep within himself as he regarded the presence… and he almost lost control of his jaw again. "You…!"
Standing before him... was Alex Mercer himself.
He stood next to a tall lamppost, the night darkening the shadows of his hood more so than normal. He just stayed there, staring at him in a rather disturbing, creepy manner. His for almost shuddered at the way he was being looked at. The teen didn't like it, not one bit. He would have to face him again, even at low power, to show tat even while weakened, he wasn't helpless.
The teen would have, done that, too. Adam would have formed his claws to face him, but… something felt off. Adam's instincts screeched at him to be careful of him, sure, but there was something else to it. Something different about Mercer this time that got them even more spooked.
One thing he noticed about the man was that he didn't have that arrogant, prideful aura that the Mercer he knew had. He didn't have that cocky, annoying smirk on his features, nor did he have anything remarkably… crazy about him. In fact, Adam could hardly call this Mercer even, it was like he was an entirely different person.
This Mercer that stood before him had a calm, collected aura about him. He looked at Adam blankly, so he couldn't tell what the man was thinking, but Adam doubted it was anything good. Tendrils rippled over the teen's body as he regarded the man, whose aura had more of a cold steel to it than the Mercer he was familiar with.
It was like he was more of a predator than the other Mercer, a cold, silent killer in the night, with powers beyond that of any man or monster. The shadows hid them well, but his eyes were reflective of his aura, emotionless, cold and hard, much like Adam's own. Right now, his arms were in his jeans' pockets, but that could change at any time.
They stared at each other for a while, nothing but silence as their company. A soft wind blew through the area, lightly rolling whatever small debris remained across the ground, while their hoods were rustled by their touch. There was also this undertone of tension, one awaiting the other to make their move. It was oddly reminiscent of those American movies where two cowboys had their quick-draw shootouts.
'What's this guy's play…?' Adam wondered in his mind. Mercer may have felt different, but that was it. He didn't have any appearance changes aside from some darker shadows under his hood, so this had to be the same predator, annoyingly stalking him from the shadows.
With his weakened state, Adam should be easy pickings for that man, however he hadn't even attempted to form any weapons yet. Adam knew he had a large arsenal at his beck and call, yet he kept his arms human and in his pockets. Question was, what did he hope to achieve now?
Whatever it was, it couldn't be good, so he had to keep his guard up for any signs of attack.
Tendrils rippled over him as Adam's right arm prepared to shift into its claw form, to show that even in his weakened state, Adam wasn't playing around, when finally, Alex spoke in a low, dark ad grizzly tone reminiscent of an animal prepping to attack.
"Don't do that…"
His eyes widened at hearing the tone of voice he had used, but that was only a brief second. Adam held his arm out, keeping it there, but the transformation froze in mid morph, as if even the virus within had tensed up upon hearing that cold voice that Mercer now possessed. He didn't know why, but just hearing those few words from Mercer's mouth stopped everything he was doing cold. Even his raging viral instincts. It was that short, terse demeanor that just screamed that he wasn't bullshitting here. This... this wasn't right. What the hell was going on here? What was Mercer doing?
After another short silence, Adam eventually relented, returning his arm to normal as he regarded the man warily. "What do you want, Mercer…?" he questioned, eyes glancing over his arms for any signs of shifting. So far, this man had shown little hostility, so did that mean he wasn't here to fight? Adam wasn't sure, but he wasn't taking any chances.
"I'm not here to kill you, if that's what you're worried about, kid." Mercer replied, his blank look ever-present as he regarded the teen before him. He pulled a hand out and, before Adam could react negatively, waved it dismissively before putting it back into his pocket. "If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead before you even hit the ground. I'm certain your instincts are telling you this already."
'Tch, even if he's not acting the same, his observation skills are still on point…' Adam thought, resisting the urge to huff in annoyance. He didn't want to give away anything to this man, not when he had been the cause of so much hardship for NYZ. Though, this did confirm one thing for him, and that was his end game wasn't to fight him. That much was certain, his words, combined with his actions and lack of any killer intent proved this to him.
With that in mind, Adam lowered his arm slightly, but still kept his guard up. His instincts demanded him to do so. "Alright… let's just say your hypothetically not here to kill me." E began, before raising a hand and pointing it at him. "What the hell is your end game, Mercer? You've been hunting me ever since my infection, back when I didn't even know what was going on. And now you just suddenly change your tongue after I escape Blackwatch? I'm gonna call bull on that."
For a moment, Mercer didn't answer, and in that moment the male wondered if he had changed his mind about not killing him. There was a certain rise in intensity within his stare, and it slightly sent him on edge, Tendrils rippling across his back. However, it vanished as soon as it appeared. The man then spoke once more, his tone unchanging from before. Kind of annoying, actually. "We have a lot to talk about, you and I, but not here."
He turned on his shoes, walking in the direction of a side street. He then looked back to him, gesturing him silently to follow. Adam frowned at this, a perplexed expression on his face. Why would Mercer want to talk to him? Especially now, of all times when he was weaker than his normal state? Those thoughts plagued his mind, but he never got any answers.
The only thing that seemed like the best course of action was to follow the man that was leaving right now. He didn't seem like he would be talking any time soon, that was for sure, plus he felt like someone who didn't talk much period. Nevertheless, Adam wasn't foolish enough to waste this opportunity. It was a risky one, but he could gain some valuable information from this guy. If he truly did release the virus into Manhattan, or what was once Manhattan now, he was going to ask him why the fuck he did that… and possibly smash his face before consuming him.
True, Mercer was stronger than him, but an animal can outwit its predators.
He was living proof of that.
With those thoughts in mind, Adam kicked the back of his heels, before taking steps forward, following the monster in human skin.
James and Sophie broke through the glass, landing on the floor in the observation room. Soldiers guarding the room aimed their rifles at them, but before they could open fire, James rushed forwards and barreled past them, breaking out of an entrance for Sophie to follow suit. Bullets flew by them as they made their quick escape from the facility.
The two ran down the corridors, searching for a way out of this hellhole. "What about the kid?!" Sophie yelled from behind the man, frowning as she looked behind her to where the observation room was. She remembered the way Adam fought, and while she knew he could handle himself in a fight, she nonetheless still worried for him. They were experienced Marines, so they could handle shit like this. Back there though, was a boy who barely looked to be in his teens. It didn't sit well with her that they had just left him.
Also, she figured he had some answers to her questions, questions about herself that is. Ever since waking up from whatever Mercer had done to her, she had felt… different. She felt stronger, faster, her reaction times broke her previous records, and in addition, something interesting had happened when she smashed an infected's chest cavity in…
She had grown freaking TENDRILS!
Tendrils! Like the ones Mercer had used, only hers were a mixture of black and dark blue. These Tendril-things, she didn't fucking know, had grabbed the body and brought it… inside of her for lack of a better term, and immediately afterwards she felt even more empowered than before. It had only happened once, but once was all it took to send her mind reeling.
The kid, he had demonstrated the same ability, but with dark green Tendrils instead of ones in her colors. Heller had done the same, and he was all like "Oh hell… what the fuck did he do to me?" which likely meant Mercer. But, Adam showed similar abilities, which made her wonder. Maybe he knew what the fuck was going on, as well. He showed great skill in handling the infected, and those freaky powers, too.
"We'll find him when we get clear!" James responded, and he meant it. While he was fine with watching grown men die, he'd seen a whole hell lot of that in the wars he'd been in, seeing children as young as him throw their lives away wasn't something he could keep a level head over. "Besides, you saw it, didn't you? That Kid's more resourceful than you give him credit for. He seems like he knew what he was doing, so this'll be nothing for him."
That was something he had noticed in the kid's eyes when he first laid eyes upon him. He got the feeling that Adam had been on the run from Blackwatch for whatever reason for a while now. There was a cunning to his eyes, a spark in them, that made Heller see that the boy wasn't just some angsty teenager who didn't belong in this shithole. This was helped by how he watched him fight. Adam had fought with brutality and efficiency indicating that he was used to this lifestyle, and while that didn't seem like a life a kid his age should have, it did award him insight that others his age didn't have. Thus, James felt he would be able to escape this place relatively easy.
Still, he did agree with Sophie that they should probably find the kid again, make sure he was alright.
After what felt like ages running, the two Marines, or rather former Marines considering Blackwatch's ability to label them as criminals, exited the base from the back. They made a mad dash for the rear entrance, which was oddly vacant. Sophie glanced behind her and saw how most of Blackwatch's troops were gathering at the opposite end of the base, likely to try and contain Adam. Her worry for the kid increased, but she had to get out of here. She'd find him later on, that she vowed to herself.
They ran like hell, until they reached a backwards alleyway that seemed safe from prying eyes. They could rest here, then hide away until Blackwatch loses their trail completely. Only then would they get to looking for that kid, since it would be likely that they would be considered criminals in the eyes of the other powers, as long as Blackwatch had anything to say about it.
The two Marines were currently breathing hard from all the running they had done, using their hands as support by resting them on their knee caps. Their upper bodies hung downwards like clothes on washing lines, sweat rolling down their foreheads. "G-Geez, that was, um… something." The woman remarked as soon as she got her breath back. She soon managed to stand upright, as did James once he got his breath back. "Guess those assholes will be gunning for us for a while."
"Obviously, now we should-" the man made to retort, when suddenly they were blindsided, several large weights dropping onto them like two large sacks of flour. Both made startled exclamations, falling to the ground. Reflexes kicked in as James and Sophie kicked the offending weights off them, scrambling backwards to find that their 'assailants' were nothing but 2 Blackwatch soldiers, both of them groaning in pain. It didn't look like they would be a problem any time soon.
"What the fu-"
"Sophie…!"
The woman noticed the irritated glare that James glared at her, and seeing as they had both the shittiest luck so far, decided to keep her mouth shut. Didn't mean she had no questions, far from it, thousands were dancing around her mind like they were having a drunken party.
A party that was interrupted by a familiar, unwelcome guest.
"Looks like you both have escaped harm."
That cocky arrogant, snarky tone of voice could only belong to one person, and that person was coincidentally crouching atop a dumpster, his arms hanging in front of him. The shadows of his hood covered his eyes, but both of them could still see that infuriating smirk on his features. Like he considered himself a god compared to them. What was more infuriating, was that was likely true considering how he practically whooped their asses when they tried to take him down.
Plus, there was how he'd literally infected an entire city single-handedly.
"Mercer…!" Sophie growled, but didn't attack, instead stayed on the ground, glaring up at the smug man. She remained on the defensive, memories of what happened the last time they met running through her mind like annoying children running through the house while screaming like hyenas. She didn't want a repeat performance, especially with what her body was going through.
James did the same, leaning upward with his arms as support. "What the hell… what hell is this?" he snarled, gesturing to the Blackwatch base. He looked torn between angry, confused and frustrated, which Sophie could not blame him for. She herself had no idea what the flying fuck was going on anymore, there had been too many mindfucks today and thus, her brain had gone mostly numb. She was surprised she hadn't thrown a bigger fit yet, as her temper had been nigh exploding for a while now.
If Mercer looked like he cared about this confusion, he did a damn good job of showing it. Note the sarcasm. The man just kept his smug smirk as he hopped off the dumpster, landing effortlessly on his feet before walking up to them. His arms were spread wide as if he were a priest preaching to his lord. "This is what you're meant for. Its why I 'chose' you two." He replied vaguely.
At this point, his reply plus James' earlier emotions spiraled into an uncomfortable whirlpool in his stomach, one that resulted in him yelling while pointing an accusing finger at the man that had almost killed him before. "What the FUCK did you do to me?!" he yelled. When he heard the sound of a familiar hot-tempered woman angrily clearing her throat, James had enough decency to look sheepish. "Oh, and her too."
"Geez, I feel so loved."
"Bite me."
"You two squabbling like children, keep quiet." Mercer hushed like a father scolding his children. Both James and Sophie glared at him, but he ignored it as he decided to answer James' earlier question. "I've given you both the 'mercer virus'. That's what they call It, right?"
The Mercer Virus… that was the official name of the virus that was currently using Manhattan-no, the Red Zone, as a breeding ground for some twisted fucking monstrosities. The same virus that repelled the Military powers combined together, rendering their efforts to retake it useless. Just hearing that name made both Marines react in their own ways: James scowled at the virus that had done him wrong, while Sophie shuddered in terror, remembering her first encounter with it.
Mercer then crouched before the two, his smug smirk twisting into a frown, a disgusted frown as he spoke his next words. "The same virus, two years in a row. And the same Blackwatch, here to save New York." He recited those words like he'd heard them all his life, beyond the point of getting sick over it. His eyes flashed orange, Tendrils rippling over him. Despite the way he spoke, it looked quite obvious that he still didn't like those words.
"Why not just leave the city then?" Sophie questioned, drawing the men's attention to her. She continued on when she saw that, raising an index finger to her eye level. "I mean, hello, a city has just been attacked by a lethal virus, I'd rather not sit around and wait for any potential repeat performances. I'd take my friends, family or other shit, and get my ass outta there before shit could get real."
A short silence overtook them, both men looking at her in surprise. Even Mercer did, and Sophie couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride in that accomplishment. Eventually he shook his head and chuckled in amusement. "Then you'd have more sense than 80% of the human population, girlie." He remarked, before his amused smirk was replaced by a dark scowl. "Nevertheless, you two need to wake up. This isn't any ordinary outbreak, this is a Bioweapon's test. Designed by Gentek, Controlled by Blackwatch. Blamed on me."
Once again, his eyes flashed orange, but this time Sophie and James didn't regard this with much attention. Instead they were trying to process what Mercer had just said. Blackwatch and Gentek did seem like assholes, just from their brief interactions with their soldiers. Some even tried to make a pass at Sophie, thinking she'd be like one of those easy hookers. They'd soon regret making THAT mistake, alright, she was a Marine for a reason, a good one.
Still though, they did know a lot about the virus, so could it stand to reason they were behind all this? And that they blamed Mercer to use him as a scapegoat? It sounded like something they would do, plus Blackwatch would likely criminalize them to the public to get their support.
Seeing the shocked, confused stares they had, Mercer glanced to the soldiers that were with them. "See them?" he asked, gesturing to the soldiers. Both James and Sophie looked and glared at them, nodding firmly.
"Those assholes tried to cut me open, I'd remember them any day."
"I think one of them tried to make a pass at me a while back. Thought he'd learned his lesson, but I guess not."
"Good." Mercer said, smirking as he allowed his arms to shapeshift. Tendrils sprouted from his shoulders, layering themselves over his arms. His arms quickly became inhuman, the arms of the Blacklight virus, before he reached for the two with a couple Tendrils that sprouted from his sides. Each one grabbed them by their necks, holding them in tight grips before dragging them to the trio. "These peons here are going to prove it to you."
Holding them like captives before the two, Mercer began introductions as the soldiers began screaming 'fuck you!' over and over. "James Heller, Sophie Neller, meet Blackwatch Lieutenant Mark Simon, and Sergeant Max Pain." he ignored their screams, almost as if they never were, and turned his attention back to the others.
Slowly, the man lifted his virally mutated arms to one of their own ones. Just as his limbs touched theirs, both James and Sophie had open-mouthed expressions as their own arms suddenly transformed into similar mutated forms. Heller's were an orangish red colour, while Sophie's were dark bluish in color.
"Yes… let it happen." The man urged, smirking widely as he saw James and Sophie, almost as if mystified by what was happening, raised their mutated arms to the chests of the screaming Blackwatch soldiers. "Let it come to you, let the truth sink in."
The consumption process began, and all the two knew was pain as they both experienced one of the strangest phenomenons in their lives:
Scientist: Mercer's interference with the New York Detonation was bad enough. He cannot remain at large.
Simon: Oh? You afraid he'll try to fuck things up even more?
Max: Like the rest of the plans?
Scientist: I was on the Gentek Team that developed that virus, Simon, Max. In 1964. I will not see my life's work, ruined!
The instance suddenly receded and the two were back in reality. Sophie fell on her side, nearly to the ground had she not used the walls as a means of support. She held onto it like it was a lifeline, her eyes wider than saucers as she breathed heavily, breaths being laboured. "Holly… Ffucking… godamn… shit…!" she tried to say between her panting.
That was one of the freakiest experiences she had ever encountered, it felt like she was both herself, but also someone else at the same time. Seeing things that she hadn't been meant to see. Things that she would never have seen otherwise. Yet, the entire time, her brain had felt like it was split apart, opened like a tin lid being opened with a tin opener, then put back down again.
Not something one would experience on a normal day.
Looking over to James, she saw that he had been just as affected as she had been, what with all the sweat and stuff coming down his head and shoulders. He was on all fours, with one hand raised to clutch his head as he winced. She knew what that meant, he had the same migraine as she did right now, albeit it was indeed fading.
While James recovered from that experience, Sophie turned her attention towards Mercer, her eyes both angry and curious as she wondered just what the hell had happened just now. "What the hell happened just now?" she asked him, feeling her strength return to her.
No, that wasn't quite right. Instead, she should say that her strength hadn't really 'left' her, but her headache had separated her from it, making her feel like she was powerless. A lot like back when she was a child, when she didn't understand much about her family life… and how it all fell apart.
'No, no-no-no, don't you DARE go there, girl!' Sophie chided herself, forcing memories she didn't want to ever recall down to the depths of the void. 'You've moved on from that, you're a strong woman now.'
Strange, when she thought that, she had a flashback to when Mercer infected her.
Unaware of her mental charade, Mercer stepped forward, speaking while James and Sophie glanced at their hands, seeing blue/orangish red glows travel across their veins. "Everything you consume makes you stronger. You take their shapes and ou take their memories."
He paused as did the other two, when they heard the sounds of Helicopter blades. Looking up, the trio saw a Gunship passing overhead, not stopping near their position. It didn't look like the Gunship had seen them, which meant that Blackwatch had lost their trail, most likely.
Once the Gunship's blades could no longer be heard, James turned his attention back to Mercer, slowly getting back to his feet while he spoke. "I've heard you talking. I've seen your weird virus shit. But I haven't seen nothing that'll make me believe you over them." he snarled at the end, gesturing to the Blackwatch base behind them. Despite everything he'd seen, which wasn't much but blurred images and crystal clear sentences,
"Ugh, goddamnit, Sergeant Heller!" Sophie yelled, clutching at her hair and looking like she was one step away from pulling it all out. Considering the sheer stupidity that James had said, just because of his vendetta against Mercer, whatever reasons he had, she was just short of losing her mind! "We were literally lab rats back there! Blackwatch used us" Called us Test Subjects! Why would we want to trust anything they tell us?!"
Sophie never trusted Blackwatch from the moment she had heard of them. She may be hot-tempered, but she wasn't stupid. An organisation full of people who would either be dead or in prison according to laws? Who would trust an organisation like that? Now that she had seen what they hid behind closed doors, she never would trust them ever again.
Compared to what happened there, what Mercer has done didn't seem as bad. Don't get her wrong, killing dozens of people wasn't a good thing, but can she or James assume the high ground? In essence, she, James and Mercer were alike in many ways. Did it even matter if they were now freaking superpowered mutated Bioweapons?
James gave her a look. While there was anger in that look, anger born from his desire to kill Mercer, there was also conflict in them as well. As much as he hated to admit it, Sophie did have a point. Blackwatch had wronged the two of them instead of trying to help them. Plus, now that he thought about it, didn't Blackwatch only arrive AFTER Mercer had infected them? Was that a coincidence or planned? But yet, he still wasn't sure whether he could trust Mercer's word, not when he had lost so much.
In the end, his thoughts were interrupted by one of the causes for the conflict within, ironically. "Your companion has a point. I didn't release the virus. And I didn't kill your wife and kid." Mercer said, walking up to the older man and placing a hand on his shoulder. Now normally, James would have swatted his hand away before it could even graze his skin, but with the knowledge he'd gained, the truth that his revenge had become way more complicated than he had ever expected, he just didn't care anymore.
But… there was one thing that still bugged him. Something that the answer could be given to him right now. "So what do you want?" James asked him, regaining some of his former spark. "You wanna fight them?"
"I want to destroy them." Mercer passionately responded, his words laced with unbridled fury. Hell, even his eyes shone a bright orange while Tendrils responded to his anger by rippling over him. "Blackwatch and Gentek and their Virus." The man quickly took deep breaths, trying to control his anger as his Tendrils slowly settled down. His boy stopped leaking Killing Intent, and the Tendrils settled under his skin. "And I want your help. Both of you."
While saying that, Mercer had walked past the two, as if he didn't even register the fact that they were there anymore, However, afterwards, he turned back to face them, his eyes shining slightly under his hood as he regarded them. "But there's something you need to do first. Gentek's been experimenting with the virus, making all kinds of Infected Creatures like in the Red Zone. You two will NEED that DNA. Use it to become strong, to evolve and thrive. When you're both ready, I'll find you."
Finally, with his last piece said, Mercer began making his way out of the alleyway. James and Sophie watched him leave, and just when he was about to turn a corner, the man paused in his steps. There was one thing he'd neglected to mention. "Oh yes, before I forget. For god's sake, put some fucking clothes on, you two."
With that, Mercer left the two in the Alleyway, his presence disappearing entirely like he was never even there. Back in the alleyway, James and Sophie stood there, silent for a moment, before their bodies were covered by their respective Tendrils. This lasted barely even a second, and when they receded under their skin, both wore some new getups.
James now wore a brown leather jacket with a black shirt underneath and a high collar. His hands had black fingerless leather gloves over them, with a pair of light blue jeans on his lower body accompanied by his black military boots.
As for Sophie, she now wore a black Biker jacket, with a white short sleeved shirt underneath. Over her hands were black leather gloves, while her lower body was covered by some black jeans and black high heeled boots. She had a red bracelet on her left wrist, while her right was bare.
"... You sure Accessories won't get in the way?"
"Shush you, don't underestimate a girl's love for accessories, or I'll take you out on a shopping spree."
"…"
There were few things that made Adam nervous these days. Being a shapeshifting, super powered viral monstrosity didn't exactly leave him with much to be afraid of. After all, what else out there could possibly harm him? Well, aside from others like him, which apparently is a thing now.
But following Mercer to wherever he was leading him, somewhere deep in the south-western section of Linden Park was one of the most nerve-wracking experiences he'd gone through today.
There was just something about the man that just screamed 'be quiet and I won't gut you with my claws' to him. It was a world apart from the feeling of superiority that Mercer had before. Adam didn't know why he had a different attitude just now, but held his tongue for the time being.
Perhaps it was now because there were more of their kind that could pose a threat to him. That was what he thought anyways, there wasn't really any way to know for sure save for asking, and that was a big no-no for now.
Right now, though, the two stood before a two-story house, one that had the makings of just that, an ordinary house. It was made from bricks, had a flat roof, and above else looked very plain. Uninteresting to look at so people wouldn't think twice about forgetting about it after a few seconds.
A perfect place for a hideout.
'The simplest of places can also be the best ones… and yet, there's something about this house that gives me the chills…' For some reason, Adam didn't like the look of this house, no, it wasn't the house that unnerved him, it was something ABOUT the house. Like it was not completely natural or something.
Walking up to the door, which opened by itself much to Adam's confusion, Mercer stepped inside before looking back to him. "Get in. We can talk inside." He stated, though with the tones behind it the comment sounded more like an order. While Adam bristled mentally at the rudeness that he showed, he refused to comment on it. Different attitude or not, Mercer was still stronger than he was. He could gut him with his claws and consume him at any time he fancied, so he had to play his cards right.
Thus, wordlessly the male nodded and followed the man inside. They walked down a hallway, the creaking of wooden floorboards being audible beneath a rough carpet. They walked to the end of the hallway where a lush, brown door was located, 2 doors lined up on both sides, making 4 in total. Add the one at the back and that made 5.
Opening that fifth door, the two descended down a set of spiraling staircases. Both Adam and Mercer were silent during the whole trip, but only one of them was more active than the other. The teenage male attempted to hide it, but he watched Mercer's bodily reactions like a hawk, trying to gauge what he was thinking through miniscule actions.
Ever since becoming this way, Adam had noticed how his Blacklight senses picked up microscopic details far easier than a human's eyes. He didn't even need a magnifying glass for this.
Finally, the two ended up in a large open area, and to Adam's shock and slight awe, it resembled a room belonging to an IT department for a business. The floor looked like it hadn't been cleaned for a while, with dull grey tiles adorning it. The walls looked old and rusted in some areas, but still strong enough to hold the house together.
At the back of the room, was a long Desk that was filled with monitors, Keyboards and towers. There was barely any light at all, save for the one light which hung over the ceiling. It had been switched on, even though there was no switch, when they entered the room.
Each one was shut down for now, but Mercer went over and reached out. Each finger on his hand instantly shot forth, extending and moving about like the Tendrils their kind commanded, and proceeded to start up each monitor, along with their towers. They each flickered into action, their screens becoming pure white for a moment. That lasted for a couple minutes, before they settled on what looked like beach desktop screens.
With that out of the way, Alex turned and regarded the boy he had brought here with scrutiny. "Now we have some privacy." He commented, and when he spoke Adam noticed faint ripples across the walls. His eyes widened when he saw that, especially when some parts seemed to ripple, not with waves… but with Tendrils.
"This house… is it…?"
Mercer glanced at the wall Adam was looking at and spoke flatly. "Yes." Adam looked over to the man as he continued. "This house was infected by my strain of Blacklight. Its to keep unwanted guest from breaking in." It was a simple answer, yet one that also showed much to the male.
If this house was infected with Blacklight, though he had no idea how Mercer even managed to pull this off, then what he was standing in was basically the interior of a Hive like the ones from the First Outbreak. The Hives, buildings that had been infested by the Virus back then. They weren't like organisms, so they weren't turned the same way.
Instead, the virus layered itself over them like cloaks, forming Biomass barriers as well as pustules that fed off these barriers to produce this strange, fleshy substance the infected would gather. It was something that he had learned about through consuming Blackwatch personal whenever he had the opportunity, which wasn't often as he wanted to remain under their radar at the time.
With what recently happened, that didn't look like an option now.
What Mercer had done, and he believed him due to seeing the proof with his own eyes, had basically been the same idea as the Hives, but toned down. There was no viral mass over the house, instead Adam's senses told him that the mass was within the walls themselves, acting as like some sort of preserver/warden/defender mix. It was essentially, a Hive hiding in plain sight, but not producing any infected. In this Yellow Zone, where pockets of Blacklight were commonplace, it resembled a wolf in sheep's clothing, hiding amongst the herd.
It also explained why he was so on edge around this place, this was essentially enemy territory and a huge danger that his strain saw for its host's safety. Blacklight disliked weakness, so it did something normal viruses didn't actually do: they took care of their hosts, making them better, maximizing their basic potential before applying their own genetics to them to allow for expanded evolution. That was how Adam saw it, anyways.
"Now, I'll get right to the point." Not wanting to waste time, Mercer shot a stream of black biomass to the ground in front of the Desk. The stream gathered and condensed itself there, instead of attacking, forming in a few minutes, what looked like a virus's attempt at making a chair. Although, judging by its design, it looked more like those chairs used by royals in older times.
Once he sat on the chair, Mercer continued. "You are aware of the fact this Outbreak is more complicated than on the surface, right?"
Adam nodded, after coming out of his previous stupor. His face became set in a firm stare, almost resembling stone, as he responded. "Yeah, even before being captured, I noticed that things weren't what they seemed. Never really trusted them, so yeah." He replied evenly, getting a nod from the man.
"Your instincts are right, kid." Mercer told him, but then his tone grew slightly grimmer. "But sadly, that's just the tip of the iceberg." His chair instantly sprouted several long streams of Biomass from its sides, about 6 in total. These streams then condensed and hardened till they formed structures reminiscent of legs… spider legs, to be more precise.
These legs allowed Mercer to have the chair move to the side, allowing Adam to see that the Monitors were displaying something. A gesture from Mercer told him to step forwards, and he did, looking at the monitors intently. The monitors displayed the 3 Zones that made up NYZ: The Yellow, Red and Green Zones.
The red Zone was, almost predictably, completely covered In red, with some areas being darker than others. Adam guessed this was to show where the infection was more heavily concentrated, as well as where the more powerful infected could be found. Some of the soldiers Adam had consumed were once stationed in that zone and had to go up against those creatures, thus they had memories of them from when they had been stationed there.
He shuddered mentally. Those things were NOT pretty.
Some areas were highlighted black and red, like the yellow and black security tape authorities use to cut off certain areas, which indicated to him that they were Blackwatch Bases. He could only imagine how hard it must be to hold those Bases, when the Infected were constantly harassing them like this.
As for the other Zones, The Yellow Zone didn't have nearly as high a concentration of infection. There looked to be small pockets of red scattered in certain places, but those reds were heavily dark, almost borderline black. That had to mean something, Adam was sure of it. The closer one got to the center, the darker the red became.
Finally, he looked to the green zone, and to his surprise, tiny pockets, way tinier than in the Yellow Zone, looked to be cropping up. 'Looks like the Green Zone isn't the 'clean zone' anymore…' Adam thought to himself, frowning. That wasn't good, not good at all.
The Green Zone had been repeatedly promised to be a safe haven for those who weren't infected with Blacklight. It was one of the last few Zones with any sense of civilization anymore. The people there lived in an uneasy peace, but peace nonetheless. In addition, they each supported the military powers in their own way.
To suddenly see that the virus would be starting to crop up there, would shatter that unity.
"As you can see, Blacklight is gaining ground." Mercer stated, having his chair walk up behind the male. Adam remained transfixed on the screens, absorbing the details that were on the monitors like infection rates, growth rates, infected population counts, etc. "Blackwatch and the Government are trying to hide it, but humanity is slowly losing this fight. Their weapons cannot destroy the virus anymore, they can only slow it down. And even then, the virus isn't slowed as much as they would think. Humanity is running out of options, fast."
Eventually mustering the strength, Adam turned his head away from the screens to look at Mercer. "You're kidding… Well, I can see why they'd want to hide that to avoid causing mass panic, it would shatter what little calm remains in this walking nightmare." Adam admitted, frowning. But then he looked back up towards the older man, his eyes shining with suspicion. "But my instinct tells me there's something else to it, isn't there?" he responded, getting a blank nod from the man as he held his left hand out.
His fingers extended like before, this time lunging past one of the screens for a few seconds. They then returned to him after a few moments, and in his hand, was a file. A Blackwatch file, Adam noticed. "You'd be right. Here, this file contains information, information I think you will be interested in knowing."
The Fingers extended towards him, and Adam gingerly accepted the file. The male eyed the fingers warily, almost like they were going to suddenly change their minds and spear him. Months of living on the defensive would do this to a guy, you know, especially a teen like him.
Slowly though, he pushed past it, and opened the file. The file read as follows:
PROJECT: TITAN
Aims – to create naturally gifted hosts for future project: Blacklight.
List of candidates for Project…
Adam looked down at the list, not recognizing the faces on the list. They seemed like generally unimportant people, at least on the grand scheme of things. Maybe that was why Blackwatch wanted these people, because their disappearances wouldn't be cared about. But then, the male noticed several names he DID know, and when he saw them he had to resist the urge to tear the file apart.
Hanna Johnson – 96.87%
Sarah Johnson – 98.88%
Adam Johnson – 99.999%
"What… the fuck?"
"It's just as the file says." Mercer replied. "PROJECT: TITAN began before Blacklight was created. Unfortunately, I couldn't find more information on it, but what I did find was that it had direct ties to Project Blacklight… and that your family had the highest percentage in the entirety of the Candidate list. I don't think that's a coincidence." Mercer told him, his scowl becoming a blank line across his mouth.
Meanwhile, Adam's mind was sent reeling by this information. All of a sudden, his parent's deaths didn't look so much as mere accidents no more. All of a sudden, his father's disappearance became much more significant. With this new information, Adam felt his entire world come crashing down on his shoulders, shattered like glass. He had hoped that, when he got some answers, things would become clear. That he would have someone to blame, someone he could punish for making him this way.
Turned out, that wasn't meant to be.
Standing up from his chair, Mercer made it sit on the sidelines, retracing its Spider Legs for the moment before walking up to him. "Kid, you're unique. In more ways than one, you just never realized it until now. The shit you have been through, the crap Blackwatch pulls every day with their twisted experiments on the virus, its all connected somehow. And I want your help in finding out how."
So… that was his goal? To get him to help him unravel the mystery around his Infection? Sure, that sounded noble enough, but there was just one thing that Mercer hadn't clarified to him first. That was soon revealed when Adam aimed a glare towards the man. "Okay, say I believe you and that everything I know has been a lie… then explain to me why you tried to fucking murder me over and over."
"You were a threat."
Mercer's sharp reply made Adam glare even harder, and he just has the urge to shove a claw down his throat. Seeing his intense gaze and the Tendrils about to shift his arms, Mercer decided to elaborate. "You were a threat because you couldn't control your powers. When I gained my powers, I'll admit I had some trouble at first, however it wasn't even a day before I figured out how to control them. YOUR strain on the other hand, it seems to be significantly more powerful than my own, even now."
His eyes narrowed at the boy. The first sign of emotion in them aside from his scowls. "I can see the strain within you, kid. It has advantages over mine that I can't even begin to imagine. That was why I feared you, but it was only recently that I learned that there was a way for you to control it… to stop with these silly bouts of madness you experience when you use the virus for too long."
Now THAT got Adam's attention. A way to harness his powers without slowly losing his mind to insanity? Sign him the fuck up! "And what way is that?" Ada questioned with a snarl. Even if this information was free, he would make sure to keep his guard up. His viral instincts demanded him to do so.
Mercer didn't answer straight away, and Adam thought he wasn't going to answer at all. He would have done something, if the older man hadn't held his hand out like he was holding an orb or something of similar shape. His palm then started showing cracks, cracks that spread across his palm in a zigzagging motion, before they slowly opened like a mouth to show a maw of razor sharp fangs.
The teen almost blanched as he saw this, his jaw hanging open as from the maw, several long, large Tendrils rose out, curling around something within until they were about 6 inches above the maw. The Tendrils then unwrapped themselves from around the object within, receding into his hand while the maw closed up, his fingers grasping the object into his hand.
That object… was an Orb. A black orb with a crimson red inner core, like a flame, within it.
Adam didn't know why, but just looking at the orb took his breath away. It even cooled the raging instincts within, that had been screaming and annoying him this entire time. It was like the virus, for the first time, had realized that it wasn't under threat of being attacked by something. That it felt truly safe for the first time. Staring into the orb's inner core, Adam almost felt his senses go dark, ignorant to the rest of the world, until he quickly snapped himself out of it, shaking his head to clear… whatever that was, out of his mind.
'Easy dude, you can't lose yourself in enemy territory. You should have learned that from your days on the streets.'
While chiding himself for that blunder, Adam looked back up to the man, who stared at him blankly as he waited for the obvious question to be asked in this situation. "And that thing is…"
Once he heard it, Mercer promptly answered, glancing down at the orb in his hands. "It's a Memory orb, or as I like to call it an "Orb of Intrigue". Memories are basically electronic signals in the brain, you see. Blacklight, upon consuming brains, makes copies of the memories by cloning these signals, storing them within our bodies for our use at any time. They're just signals after all, they can easily be replaced. Therefore, its theoretically possible for Blacklight beings to share memories this way." He explained.
'Ahhh, that makes sense… sharing memories does seem like something Blacklight could do…' Adam thought, eyes shining in contemplation. Memories were indeed signals, recordings made by the brain. In the world of IT, it was so easy to make recordings, to alter them to fit one's needs. Hell, there was special editing software made for that express purpose.
It only made sense that Blacklight could do what it took multiple pieces of hardware and software to do. It was made to adapt, evolve, and overcome. Though, just what situation made this evolution possible the male had no clue.
"This thing here has everything you'll need to get started. Although, by my estimate you would have gotten this far eventually, but sadly Blackwatch now knows of your existence. This'll be the best way to get you ready for battle in the short time you have left." Mercer said, and with that, he vanished in a burst of speed.
Adam gasped, his eyes shooting to the size of dinner plates as he hurriedly looked around, searching for any sign of the man. However, he was nowhere to be seen, only shocking the male even further. The file that was once in his hands was gone, dropped to the floor. There was no need for that thing anymore, not with what he knew now.
Then, Mercer appeared before him, the arm holding the Orb of Intrigue right in front of his face. "Now, this knowledge for your survival. Let it come to you, let the information sink in." Mercer spoke, almost poetically as, to Adam's shock, his own dark green Tendrils emerged from his body, wrapping around the orb with rapt eagerness. It was almost like the virus WANTED this information so badly that it would act on its own.
What followed, was pain.
Adam screamed and growled as he held his head, the Tendrils pulling the Orb of Intrigue into his body. Pain coursed through him in a manner he had never felt before, it was like he was being sliced to pieces by thousands of tiny blades at a snail's pace, while being impaled by a rotating chainsaw through the gut, with another going through the back of his head.
Yet, through this pain, Adam still saw several things make themselves clear inside his mind:
Infection
Control
Domination
Hivemind
Shapeshifting
Stability
Mutation
Evolution
These words, they held power, that was something that was made clear to him through all the pain. For every time he heard them, it felt like gongs were ringing through his mind. 'Mercer never fucking told me that this would be this painful!' he mentally screamed, biting his lower lip so hard that, despite the enhanced durability granted by the virus, blood began to drip down his chin. Tendrils swirled around the wound to heal it, but the pressure on the lip remained.
So much pain coursed through his system, and ever second that passed made the pain gradually grow worse and worse. His voice soon lost the ability to make sounds as he fell to his knees, holding the sides of his head as if it was about to explode. All the while, Mercer stayed back and watched, not bothering to lift a finger to help ease the pain. He couldn't even if he wanted to, this process had been out off his hands once the Orb of Intrigue had been consumed.
In addition, he knew how much pain Adam was in, since he'd tried this trick on himself at one point. Not a fun experience.
Finally, the process completed itself, and with a soundless gasp, Adam crumbled to a heap on the ground, unconscious yet spasming randomly. However, Mercer noticed that he was still breathing, probably out of habit, but it told him that Adam was still alive. For the first time since their meeting, Mercer gave a smirk, one that spoke volumes about the pride swelling within. "Looks like you'll be worth the investment after all, kid."