Author: This chapter had orginially planned to become only one, but then I didn't manage to finish writing, so now it's the first of two. Don't worry, the action's gonna start after that.

Also, there are some [PROTOTYPE] references in here, because I have reason to suspect that both exist in the same universe. Why? Well, Moya mentioned that the upper echelons wanted to nuke Empire if this so-called 'Plague' and the violence didn't let up soon. That would be a tad too extreme, even for America.

Except for when the Outbreak in Manhattan happened before that.

News

Zeke was the first to arrive at Bayview. Originally, he wanted to meet Cole together with the others, but then figured that maybe he should be allowed to keep his dignity by not doing the whole super-serious business in that stupid hospital gown. So he arrived about an hour before the appointed time with a bag full of stuff for his friend to wear.

Much to his surprise, Cole was already awake and about. In fact, he was highly active, roaming his room, wringing his fingers and mumbling to himself. Once Zeke walked through the door, he ceased all movement and fixed his best friend with a hard glare.

"Tell me you brought something to eat", he said for a greeting.

Zeke blinked. Hard. "Uh"

"Food, Z", Cole explained slowly. "Munchies. Yum-yum. Something to stuff into your mouth and feel good afterwards."

Zeke blinked again. "I...uh", he groped around his back pocket, finding a half-squished object in a colorful wrapper. "I...think I have something." Cole eyed him and Zeke frowned at the thing he found. "I think it was a cereal bar. Once." He cut himself off when he saw the hungry stare of his best friend and slowly backed off. "Whoa there, Cole! I have sat on that thing because I am sure it has been in my back pocket ever since I bought these pants. I don't know what year it is from and you probably won't like to eat it anyways-"

"Don't care. Hand it over", Cole growled.

Zeke blinked and stared at the bar, before flipping it over to his friend, who caught it and immediately tore the wrapper off. Cole made a low content moan when he inhaled half of the the melted ancient snack and Zeke wasn't sure whether he should laugh or feel worried about his friend's state of mind.

"Didn't they feed you?" He asked.

"Not really", Cole replied around a mouthful of cereal bar. He jerked his head towards the IV bags at their rack. "I had those up my arm. Didn't like them so I took them out." He shrugged. "I tried everything- but there are no snack dispensers around and I didn't want to walk around with this stupid gown thing that leaves my butt free. And when I asked for food, your nurse girlfriend told me I wasn't allowed to eat anything."

"Because your intestines had been damaged and needed to be partially removed", a sharp voice declared from the entrance. Cole flinched and dove into a corner, ducked low and cradled the cereal bar protective against his chest. Rachel stood in the door, glaring darkly at Cole. "Mister MacGrath", she spoke with a sharp tone, "Any attempt at ingesting food risks the stitches on your internal organs and can lead to a serious blood poisoning."

"I told you", Cole bit back, "I am fine- just give me the okay and I'll be out of here."

"And I told you", Rachel snapped, "That we had to remove a lot of your internal organs to stop the bleeding. Don't you dare try to play smart with me!"

"I'm fine!" Cole argued.

"Sure. And I'm certain you have a medical degree to back that assumption, do you?"

Zeke blinked and glanced from one to the other. He felt as if he was in the entirely wrong movie.

The Conduit and the nurse kept staring at each other, unwilling to back down, until Rachel scoffed. "Fine", she grumbled. "We'll see who's right. I'll arrange a spin for you in the CT." Cole blinked in confusion and the nurse lifted her finger warningly. "I will tell you this only once, MacGrath. You fry any of the equipment in here and I will mess you up worse than this nutcase did."

"Duly noted."

He was back. Back at the House of Healers.

To be honest, the easy prey was starting to bore him. He wanted the strong prey. The one they called 'Demon'.

But the question was, was he strong enough to be hunted again?

The 'Ripper' glanced down, eying the room he knew the 'Demon' was in. The vision of his mask changed, dying everything in warm colors and allowing him to zoom closer. But behind the paper-thin walls he didn't see anything. Even the energy unit was off.

He clicked his mandibles in confusion? Did he die?

That would be a shame.

After a moment of scanning every room on his side (maybe he was just mistaken, or the healers have moved his prey), he tapped the side of his mask, switching back into the normal spectrum. But he did increase the audio input.

In an instant, he could hear hundreds, maybe even thousands of voices all through the building.

Ooman cubs screaming, adults speaking, machines humming, water rushing beneath. He narrowed his eyes, tapping his wrist computer a few times to replay the record he made of his prey and cross-reference it with the voices he heard down there to filter out the useless rabble and focus entirely on his prey and his surroundings.

"Ho-holy shit"

The hunter paused, head inclined to the side. The 'Demon' was still alive then? But he wasn't in that room he had been confined to before, instead he was deeper in the building's bowels.

"Jesus on a pogo stick!" A second voice chimed in. The hunter frowned. He heard that voice before, the moment before he revealed himself to his prey. The fat man, most likely.

"This is impossible", a female voice claimed.

"And yet it happened", his prey commented. His voice was slightly drowned out by the powerful humming of some large machinery. "Uh- Could you maybe get me back out of here? I'm not overly fond of being stuck inside a large tube."

"Wait a moment, Cole"

"What? Now you're on a first-name basis with him?!" The fat man wailed. The hunter snorted. Oomans were so strange sometimes.

"I'm just marveling at the medical wonder he represents", the female said, "Because humans don't usually grow back entire organs."

"...uh... I am not really human. Not anymore."

"Yeah! Cole's a superhuman now! You now, like Wolverine?"

"Superhuman", the Hunter rasped. It fit this type of prey. Oomans were tricky, clever. And those that had those 'powers' were even stronger. They could take more damage and cause more damage in return, making them ideal prey. He enjoyed hunting them, even though the lesser ones were starting to bore him. The greater ones were why he was still around.

The woman- he wasn't sure about her. Females usually weren't on his list of prey, and she didn't seem to be in full control of her mind nor did her body appear very strong. He didn't know whether it would be like hunting a rabid animal or fighting a sly viper, so he didn't lift a claw against her until he would know more.

He regretted not having hunted that old man, though. He had believed him to be weak. After all, he was old. He was limping, and he was half blind. But then he had seen him fight his prey and had to realize how powerful he'd been. It's a shame he fled and hid, before those soldiers got to him. They murdered the old man without any honor.

His mandibles clicked in annoyance. The other old man- the one even older than the first- he had been a perfect candidate for hunt. But he had managed to elude his hunter. Had managed to avoid his eyes. He made the hunt sweet and exciting and the he had looked towards claiming his trophy.

But then the older man had surprised him by choosing to fight the 'Demon'- a man the hunter hadn't paid much attention to because he had been a puppet in the older man's and the other woman's play- and then he witnessed the older man end up being defeated by the young man. The young man who wasn't anywhere as strong, anywhere as intelligent or cunning as the older man.

And still he beat him through a mixture of determination, strength and stubborn relentless. This was maybe not the sly power the older man had shown, but it was a powerful display of strength nonetheless.

He began respecting him for that, and watched him.

When the black creature appeared, he had been worried. Worried it might kill his prey, but then the man finally managed to destroy the creature. Not only destroy- he had broken it with so much power that there was barely anything left.

The Hunter clicked the audio input off and tapped his wrist computer. His prey was fully healed again and he would know he was going to hunt him again. The last time he had taken him by surprise, but now that wouldn't be possible. This time, they would fight on equal terms.

He clicked his mandibles together in excitement. The hunt was coming to a close now.

But could he attack his prey in a House of Healing? His teachers had once told him that there were a lot of injured individuals in such a place, and any sort of disturbance might kill them by accident. Not a very honorable death and not a very honorable hunt.

He clicked again and pulled back from the edge of the roof. He could wait some more.

The hunter was about to head back into the jungle of the city, when the sound of engines stopped him. He knew that sound and turned around, curiously.

He noticed one of those vehicles the soldiers have arrive in front of the house of healers. The Ripper watched how a group of men got out, but only two of them headed inside the building, while the rest stopped and stood outside. He clicked his fangs angrily. He knew those men had murdered the old man without honor, and he knew they were after his prey too.

He was about to jump down and take them out, when another vehicle arrived. It was another old man, with dark skin. He glanced at the soldiers once, but didn't seem overly worried. It confused the hunter, more even as the dark man simply walked into the building.

Neither of them seemed to be injured like the other oomans in this place were, nor were they the healers or helpers of the healers.

So what was going on?

The answer took him admittedly a bit longer than it should have. Either the fat man or his prey had called for them. Had summoned them here.

What for?

The answer was obvious and frankly, simple.

They allied to plan fighting him. The hunter blinked behind his mask before a deep, guttural laughter echoed from his throat.

That could be interesting.

"That was...well, not entirely unexpected, but..." Cole trailed off, gesturing with his hands as he sat back on his bed and wrenched his shoes over his feet.

"Discovering you're literally half the X-Men in one was a bit surprising?" Zeke finished with a wide grin.

Cole huffed in reply. "Yeah", he finally muttered. "I mean, I remember this", he pointed at his chest where shiny scar tissue formed a circular spot over otherwise flawless muscles and flesh. "This had been a bloody crater, the last time I looked", he continued. "But now? All healed. Five days later."

"Which leads me to the question I was burning to ask", Zeke continued.

"Mhm?" Cole hummed, pulling his shirt over his head to be finally rid of the stupid paper-thin hospital dress thingy.

"You know- Rachel said your entire internal system had grown back. Aside from the fact that only those weird-ass lizard things with the red bushels on their heads are able to do that, why did you pass out in the first place?"

"They're newts. Amphibians, not lizards", Cole mumbled with a deadpan expression. He frowned at his hand, turning it over as if it held all answers in the universe. Re-growing internal organs was unheard of in humans- and with the sole exception of the liver none of the tissues had such regenerative abilities. Had the blast really done so much to him?

But he had thought about this, hasn't he? When he woke up here first and the room didn't spin anymore. He did have a theory, and he was eager to share. So he turned to Zeke. "You've asked a good question", he admitted, "And I did think about it too."

He frowned again, before he reached out to the lamp and drained some electricity from it. "I think- I think I'm pretty resistant against bullets because I'm more of an electro magnet that slows the projectiles down before they hit, so they don't cause that much damage. My bones are stronger and my skin tougher- so I can withstand much more punishment than most people..." He trailed off, eyes going vacant for a moment. "But I guess my organs aren't made of the same stuff. Either that- or I have troubles healing them back up like I do muscles, flesh and bone. Maybe they're more complex to regenerate." He shook his head. "At any rate, when that guy gutted me with his shit-shanks, it hurt much more than being shot at would- and my body prioritized healing those injuries first, but because I had to keep zapping the guy, I couldn't heal."

"And you passed out", Zeke noticed.

"Yeah", Cole sighed. "Because I failed getting to a new source of juice. When the EMTs found me, they of course didn't know what to do with me and did whatever they do with normal people."

"Removing your internal organs to stem the bleeding", Zeke noticed. "But in your case, it was exactly the wrong thing to do, right?"

"Most likely. It appears I just needed a lot of energy to fix myself back up." Cole shook his head with a grimace again. "It isn't the medic's fault. They did what they thought was right, just that by removing my guts they actually knocked me out in the first place. And I stayed that way until my body finished regrowing what they removed."

"...I did mention that this is some serious Wolverine bullshit, right?"

"Only three times until now", Cole joked. He shrugged when a thought came to him. "Is there anything else you might wanna tell me?" He pointed at the dark line just below his right eye. "Like, who of you has gotten marker all over my face?"

He noticed how Zeke cringed back, and his eyes narrowed. If it was just marker, then he would make a joke and be done with it. But this flinching back was weird. "Okay. I can take it, Z", Cole started, "What is the meaning of this?"

Zeke fidgeted with his fingers for several long moments, before he relented and reached into the pocket of his jacket. When he pulled out a small animal skull, Cole was more confused than anything.

He made all this hubbub because of this?

Cole tilted his head, frowning at his best friend. "What's this?" He asked.

Zeke stared at him incredulous. "You don't know?"

"No. Should I?"

Zeke seemed to relax marginally, though his brows were drawn together. "This thing appeared on your pillow the first night you were here." He squirmed. "I think- it's maybe a-" He trailed off, seemingly unwilling to continue. But he didn't need to. In that moment, Cole's brain lurched into clarity again. The skull looked oddly familiar. In Zeke's hand it meant nothing, but if one imagines a mandibled face hanging over it...

The Ripper had been there. Had been close enough to finish him, yet he didn't. Instead, he left the skull.

As a-

"Warning", Cole finished with a scowl.

Zeke blinked in surprise. "You know?" He asked in a hushed tone, quickly throwing a glance over his shoulder to search for a threat that wasn't there.

"Recognized the thing just now", the Conduit explained. His scowl deepened and his lips curled away from his teeth. "What do you expect Zeke? That I cower in the corner? I know that this guy is hunting for me- and I know he's gonna try again. There's no use being scared by some ominous warning." He huffed out and glared at his best friend. "What pisses me off is the fact that he could have hurt you or any other when I couldn't stop him."

"Cry me a river, electro freak"

Both young men whipped around at the new and highly irritated voice. The Marine jerk and his lieutenant stood in the doorway. Both had deep scowls on their faces. The lieutenant quickly left, however, to stalk the hospital, while the captain's eyes narrowed as soon as he noticed Cole, seconds before he marched towards the Conduit. Cole coiled his body, waiting for the inevitable fallout.

Zeke gave an alarmed shout when the Marine suddenly drew his gun and leveled it at Cole's forehead. Cole, however, only glared back, his eyes narrowed and glistening like steel.

"Forty men", the captain bit through his clenched teeth. "In the last four days, forty of my men had been killed!"

Cole's eyes blew wide in shock. "Wait", he rasped out, "Forty men? That bastard killed forty men in four days?!"

The captain snorted at his obvious shock. "Don't play dumb with me", he growled, "We both know that you have murdered enough of us as well. You fucking sank the entire Washington!"

Cole blinked before his teeth were bared in a snarl. Faster than anyone could react, he had grabbed the captain and slammed him into the wall, hard enough to leave cracks. The gun had gone lost in the brief struggle, though the man still tried to free himself. The Conduit, however, was way stronger. Effortlessly he kept the soldier pinned against the wall. At the same time, lightning was flashing all over his body and through the room, cracking ominously with its master's rising temper.

"Listen here, you piece of self-absorbed shit", Cole bit out very slowly, making sure to slip enough threat into his voice. "I can only deal with your type of bullcrap for so long. You have no idea what I went through- what Empire went through."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Thousands died when that bomb went up. After that, the entire city started hating me because I survived when their loved ones didn't. Tell you what- I would gladly trade with them. My life for theirs- but I can not turn back time."

His hold on the man turned tenser, while Harms and Zeke slowly backed off. "At first I just wanted to get out- but your people on the Stampton Bridge gunned down a whole bunch of civilians! People like me, who just wanted to escape the city! People who wanted to get out because you idiots locked us in with a bunch of crazy serial killers and drugged junkies!" His teeth were bared now and his eyes flashed.

"You know- I was the one to fix it. I was the one to bleed for the people of Empire- the only one who took care of them in a way your government refused to do! Do you know what they have planned? They wanted to nuke Empire City. Ten Million people- killed with one single press of a god-damned button!" Cole's voice had lowered to a snarl, that still managed to echo through the room and shake the other's bones. "This here is not Manhattan. The 'plague' that made the people sick- it was poison in the water, not some exotic virus some idiot cooked up in a lab! But no! Your people had their heads too far up their own asses. Instead of looking for a reason, they just wanted to bury us all!"

His teeth ground against each other as his voice lowered even more. "It is the fault of your people that all of this happened. It is your fault that hundred thousands died- the weapons on the streets had to come from somewhere, right?! It is your fault this entire shit went down. It is your fault that-" Trish is dead, Cole wanted to say, but he cut himself off. They wouldn't have to know this. His hold on the other man let up slightly when his brain whirled back to the moment he lost her. Back when he just managed to revive her, only long enough for her to tell him how much she loved him.

Cole swallowed, hard, when his memories returned, without fail, to the moment he buried her in that park. His mind had been consumed by grief and revenge back then, but after he had destroyed Kessler, all that was left was a painful emptiness. Especially after he went to the hospital and got her things, finally realizing that she was gone and would never come back. (and then he remembered the small plastic stick sitting innocently on her sink, with the small plus symbol on that little window, and his heart clenched painfully)

Thinking of Trish and what could have been made his rage subside fast, and all Cole felt was weariness. His hold on the man began to loosen.

The captain was glaring at him, waiting for him to continue (not that he could do much against him, Cole was a lot stronger). Cole scrunched up his nose and slowly let go of the man. "Don't blame me for all the shit that went down", he growled, though his previous anger was subdued now. "I fought your men because they attacked me and the people of the city- but I would never blatantly murder anybody." He pulled back, allowing the man to go free. "The ship's been your own fault though- if you hadn't kidnapped me in the first place, David wouldn't have attacked there and I wouldn't have needed to blow it up to get him off my ass."

The Conduit snorted, crossing his arms. "But yelling at you wasn't why I had Zeke call you here- as good it had been to get that off my chest- I want your attention because this is about the guy who blew up your men."

The captain scoffed. "And of course- you know who the sorry son of a bitch is, right?"

Cole shrugged. "It's the guy that messed me up- and it's the bastard who murdered a very good man and scores of others by tearing out their spines."

Harms now finally decided to cut in. "Are you certain it is the same guy?"

"Pretty sure", Cole explained, "You know, he did have a pair of blades attached to his wrist- and he kind of gutted me like he didn't just cut through my bones. I think that's the weapon you've been looking for."

"What do you know about that dude anyways?" Zeke asked, "I mean, you're the only one who's seen him."

Cole frowned. What did he know, really?

A few things, actually. The most important ones, too. Cole had dropped out of college, but not because he wasn't clever enough- no, he left because he didn't like how his teachers treated Zeke. He was my no means stupid- stubborn to a fault and not a fan of having to think about others' plans- but not stupid. He could recognize a pattern easily enough and he was more than capable to figure out problems on his own.

And despite having been taken by surprise, he had learnt quite a lot about the killer.

"He does not like acting in the open", he began, "And I mean it. Sasha and Heyes both confirmed that he prefers to stalk his victims and attack from the back." He glanced at the Marine captain. "He probably took out your guys in that way too- shooting them before they even realized what was going on."

The captain scoffed, but nodded, much to the Conduit's surprise. "You're guessing right- none of my boys had even seen a glimpse of that fucker before it was too late."

"That's the other problem", Cole said slowly. "That guy can be invisible at will. I guess it's something of a technology he has on him, because when I hit him with my shock grenades, he fizzled into visibility."

"Technology can do that?" Zeke asked surprised. "Really?"

"Kessler and some of his First Sons could turn invisible too", Cole reminded him. "And...the guy's not so much human himself." He squirmed with a grimace. "He's a Conduit too."

"Fucking knew it", the captain bit out. "Another one of you freaks!" His expression darkened. "And a cowardly one, too", he growled, "What the fuck is wrong with you freaks?"

Cole glared at him. "Don't forget it is idiots like you who make us Conduits resent you so much." The captain glowered, but didn't say anything, allowing Cole to continue.

"Besides", he said, "That guy's a hunter. He stalks his victims, then takes them down like any other hunter would do."

"I don't give a flying fuck about this psychological crap", the captain snapped, "The only thing that interests me is the question whether and how he can be killed."

"He bleeds", Cole gave back coldly, "But as long as a whole army is looking for him, he won't show himself. In worst case, he's just gonna take out every single man until the morale's so bad that nobody will remain."

"You can't be serious", Harms realized, "Are you saying that you plan to...take the Ripper one-on-one?!"

"I am serious", Cole replied, "I learnt from our previous encounter. I can do this. I will do this."

"That's insane, man!" Zeke more or less yelled, "You got your ass handed to you last time!"

"It was the same with David", Cole answered, "And I still beat him." His expression darkened. "I have walked away for too long, Zeke. No more. I will face this guy and I will take him down. Not only for me, but for all the others he murdered until now. I will beat him."

The question was only, how? Cole frowned over this question. Close combat was probably out of question. That guy had advantage in body height, strength and weapons- of course he could heal, but he'd rather not risk being shanked again. Trying to stay at distance wasn't preferably either, the guy's cannon could critically injure him or throw him off balance, even with the shield. Plus he had this whole energy drainage stuff going for him. Beating him was going to require finesse and skill.

That wasn't unfamiliar with him, though. Cole had beaten Sasha, despite her always hiding in her tar and driving him mad; he had beaten Alden, despite him having a giant construct of trash metal; he had beaten David, who was a lot stronger than him; and he had beaten Kessler, who had a whole lot of tricks up his sleeves.

He could do it.

But he would need some help. And despite his feelings for them, the Marines had everything he required.

"Captain", he started, drawing the man's attention, "Listen- I am going to take this guy out." Before the man could reply, he lifted his finger. "However, I will require your assisstance. I am not unbeatable, so if anything happens to me, it is your job to kill that bastard."

"And how, if he hides from an army?"

"He's more likely to take you on if you fight alone- and clever. If you trick him into a trap, then you can easily get the upper hand." The Conduit frowned again. "However, do not, under any circumstances, allow him to get a good look on you." He gestured to his chest, where the scar tissue was visible just over the hem of his collar. "He has a sort of energy cannon attached to his shoulder. It targets via a system on his mask, so it shoots wherever he looks. Get into his blind spot, and stay there to avoid that. Those projectiles are devastating- I guess they were what blew your guys up. Hell, they can evaporate my shields and cause massive damage, but he can't shoot more than five times, before that thing overheats."

He paused, glancing upwards. "He also has some sort of disc", he added after a moment. "Razor-sharp and seemingly able to be steered. That thing can be called back, and cuts easily through concrete and bone, however, if it gets stuck somewhere, it has to be retrieved manually."

"What else?" There was a strange tone in the Marine's voice. Something that was almost...careful curiosity. The expression on his face was strange too, as if he was beginning to have an idea, but wasn't willing to share it before he wasn't certain.

"Bombs", Cole added. "Small things, not much larger than my palm. They can stick to surfaces and can be triggered manually, but cause a massive explosion. Better not stay close to them. Then he also has some sort of rifle. It shoots something like blade or darts. Hurt like a bitch too." He grimaced. "Close-up and personal's going to be hard too. That guy's like seven to nine feet in size and only muscles. Has those two claws on his wrist and a spear too." He paused again, frowning. "Oh. And whatever happened when the Blast got him- he looks barely human. I mean-" He trailed off, waving his hand. "David was bad enough. All black and with four arms, and Sasha got several tongues and has claws."

"The Ripper too?" Harms wondered.

"Yeah", Cole nodded. "Scales on his skin, in shades of brown and green. Claws on both hands and feet. Oh. And he has this weird-ass crab face."

The Marine Captain sudenly inhaled sharply, though he realized it and tried to cover it up with a clearing of his throat, but Cole had noticed it regardless. "Anything you wish to share?" He asked suspiciously.

Harms's and Zeke's attention turned towards him, curious. The captain narrowed his eyes and glared at them, mouth clenched shut. Cole inclined his head by a shade. "There is something you don't want to tell us. Come on. Spit it out. It might be useful."

The Marine captain scowled deeper, clearly turning that thought over in his head. Then, however, he got up and walked to the door, clicking his radio on. "Millers", he bit out. "Come back and secure the door. I want not a single soul in or out of this room."

"Sir"

He clicked the radio off and closed the door, then locked it. He turned back to the other occupants and crossed his arms behind his back.

"What I am about to tell you is confidental", he bit out, obviously highly displeased with the entire situation. "So- whatever I am going to tell you is never leaving this room, understood?"

"Uh?" Zeke began, but the captain scowled only deeper. "AM I UNDERSTOOD?!" He barked.

"You are", Cole commented dryly, unbothered by the hard tone he used. "Now go on."

The Marine sighed, shoulders visibly slumping. "If my superiors hear about this, I'll be buried in Guantanamo", he muttered. Then his posture turned rigid again and his glare hardened.

"I wasn't on the investigation back then, so I didn't make the connection until now. But I'm certain that this rash of kills has not been the first", he commented. "No, it has been going on for decades."

Cole's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing on the man. Decades? But the Ray Sphere had been unique, as far as he knew. This killer couldn't have been around for decades- at least not the way he was now.

"We heard of it the first time in '95, when we lost a group of Marines on a rescue mission in the Val Verde jungle. The second time it happened, it happened in '97 in Los Angeles. We assume that there have been more cases similar to them all over the world, but we are missing evidence."

"Then the killer must be around forty? Fifty?" Harms wondered.

The captain only shook his head. "No. In both cases, a single man managed to take out the killer, at the cost of several dozen of Marine lives. The killers are dead."

"So there are more of them?" Cole asked, "What? Is this like The Sith?"

"Worse", the captain growled. He closed his eyes, steeling his resolve. "As I said- this is confidental. And if I ever hear of this in any sort of media- I will have you taken into custody and shot without any trial- got it?!"

"Yeah. Go on", Cole snorted.

The Marine sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We aren't entirely sure what this is all about- but we can tell you so much- your killer is not one of your freaks." He shook his head. "No. What we're talking about aren't locals."

"Locals? As in Americans?" Zeke wondered.

"No. Not locals as in not Earth." The captain scowled deeper. "Well, congratulations, MacGrath. It looks like you got your hands on some motherfucking alien."