The night before was filled with paranoia and urgency. His main priority was getting Dana and Sarah to somewhere safe, a place where Pariah wouldn't be able to find them. No one had any ideas as to where they could stay. Jason and Sam's houses were a no go because Pariah had eyes on all of Blackwatch. Mockinal was an even bigger no because he was always under surveillance. Alex would have no choice but to resort to meeting up with an old contact. This person did several favors for him in the past, it was rude to come back for more but Alex had no choice.
Bradley Ragland was not only useful but he was a kind hearted man to whom Alex could trust. Back when Dana was recaptured from Greene Alex had left her over under Ragland's care. Thinking more on the subject Ragland was more than just a friend he was a valuable asset. The man saved Alex's ass tons of times.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean Ragland's a nice guy but we'd be asking too much of him by putting him in danger like this." Dana wasn't exactly on board with the plan. Everyone else was fine with the plan including Sarah but Dana felt a bit guilty. She had already depended on him in the past and it just seemed wrong to add more weight to his shoulder again.
"Dana don't doubt me, I know what I'm doing. You're just afraid of being nuisance, guess what you're not. I'll even pay Brad a king's fortune for this if he pulls through for us."
Sarah wasn't all too sure of herself about all this. Moving away from her own home was one thing but having to beg like some dog to a random stranger was another thing. Sarah wondered what she'd be doing right now if she hadn't met Alex but she stopped herself from thinking too far. He was doing this to help her, 'be grateful'.
The bunch continued to walk until they were greeted with the view of a reasonably lavish sized house. Dana and Sarah were both set down their bags to get a bit of rest. Alex noticed the shiver that Dana was giving off and decided it was time to ring the doorbell. Standing in the rain all day wasn't going to help anybody.
The door slowly unlocked and out from the door came Ragland. His hands took off his glasses and he cleaned them with his shirt before putting them back on. 'Him? What does he want?!'
"Ragland I don't meant to be a bother and all but it would mean a lot to me if you let my sister and girlfriend stay over. I know this is a bit sudden but I'm willing to pay you a hefty sum if you can let them stay."
Ragland couldn't believe his eyes. He had thought he had seen the last of Alex long ago but no, here he was right in front of him. Seeing Alex always amused Ragland, it was a sign that mankind had no completely failed when designing the infection. 'If he needs a place to stay then he's found it!'
"You don't have to pay me a single cent. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you'd like. Get in quick before you catch a cold in the rain!"
Ragland walked them into the house. Alex and Dana were a bit skeptical of his kindness but Sarah could sense the love in the man's heart. The neighborhood looked rich but this was something other worldly, the house looked more elegant than the apartment Alex had opted for. It was definitely way bigger too. The group followed Ragland deeper into the house until he stopped at a room.
"This is the guest bedroom, I hope it's to your liking." Dana threw her bags beside the bed and took off her raincoat. Knocking out on the bed Sarah wanted to do the same but she wanted to stay awake to talk with Alex once they were alone.
"I'm going to be in my room. There's a Tv in the living room over there if you need it but don't stay up all night with the volume too loud. Don't be scared to yell if you need anything." And with that Ragland was gone leaving Alex and Sarah alone. Alex assumed Sarah had gone in the room with Dana but he was wrong standing next to him was Sarah who at the moment was giving him puppy dog eyes.
"You know I can't stay here right." If he had the time for it he would race over to a Blackwatch base and consume a few troops to see if he could find anything on Pariah. Or maybe he would set out to find Elizabeth so she could tell him where to find Pariah. There wasn't any family time in his schedule.
"Please Alex, I barely see you and if you do this more often I don't think we can be together. All I want is for us to have time for each other." Sarah plead to Alex with a sad look on her face. Alex knew she was right but he had responsibilities to take care of. "Have it your way but I have stuff to deal with so I can't stay for too long."
Venturing over to the living room and Sat down and got cozy. Propping his feet up to stay on the coffee table Alex sighed. Having all this nonsense with Pariah on his mind was starting to get repetitive. It made him wonder how often Pariah would think of him in return. Sarah sat next to Alex and let her head fall on his shoulder clumping onto the warmth of his body. Not paying attention to the tv Alex closed his eyes and let himself relax for once.
"Alex do you think we'll get married someday." Alex put him arm around Sarah, hugging her but softly he was afraid of hurting her with the amount of power he held.
"It's possibility."
The tv flared up transitioning from a colorful cartoon to a serious and dual news program. The news man sat cozily on his chair with his fingers to his ears hinting that he was receiving information via blue tooth.
"We apologize for the interruption but the state of New York has been prompted to alert all viewers of Manhattan that the current city is under lockdown once again until a man or woman under the alias of 'Zeus' enters time square. We have been issued to give out this amber alert just recently. Our news team has no leads as to what's going on but what we do know is that several Blackwatch troops have been spotted in time square."
The tv screen changed camera to bird's eye view of time square taken most likely from a news chopper. There was a circle of light in the middle of shot and it was aiming directly at a gaggle of Blackwatch soldiers un-holstering their guns. Alex knew right away that this had to be Pariah by his keen instincts. Even with all the knowledge Alex possessed he had no idea what to do in terms of planning a strategic attack. What was he to do?
Alex thought long and hard but he couldn't think of anything. At first one would think that he could just assume the form of a Blackwatch troop but that would prove to be entirely useless. The reason for that was that Pariah would be able to sense him. Not only did that ruin any form of sneak attack but it also meant that Alex had to rely on not only himself but others.
"You know I have to go for real now don't you." Alex got off the coach and turned the tv off. Despite all the craziness in his life he still had time to give out a large yawn as if nothing was happening. This was terrible she had just gotten comfy with him and he was already leaving. That wasn't her only worry, he was going out to fight some monster that Alex seldom mentioned. Every time he spoke about the topic he seemed a bit unsure of whether he could really take down the problem. Her mind was racing over and over to different places. Alex could be badly beaten, Alex could be captured, and most of all Alex could die!
"It's a trap Alex, going there would be like walking right into a minefield." She wanted nothing more than for Alex to just sit back down and forget about everything.
"I can't run from this Sarah. You of all people should know that." Alex stubbornly replied. This was a fight that Alex was actually scared of. "I want to stay here with you, I'm might not return from this but I have to try." he had more things to lose now than he did before. Except now he had more responsibility on his hands. Alex knew he had to go to this fight, he owed New York and the only way to pay off his debt would be to stop Pariah from hurting anyone else.
"I know that you're going to get yourself killed if you go alone! At least let Mockinal go with you."
"No, this is my city, my fight. I thought about relying on someone else before but to tell you the truth I have to do this alone. No one else needs to get hurt from this." Alex walked over to the door, the blistering rain and thunder could be heard a mile away.
"You can't go. Alex if you step out that door don't dare come back to me. You can expect to be alone for Valentine's Day."
"I've been alone all my life. It won't make a difference if I'm alone now…. I love you Sarah, if I don't come back remember my smile, because you were one of the only people who got lucky enough to see it." Alex's hood hid his eyes with the shadow it cast. Sarah's heart shattered into a million pieces as she forced herself to watch Alex leave the house into a cold and stormy night. Weeping now a small tear fell down her cheek, if he died she would have no one. Sarah used to have a large family but almost all of them died tragic deaths. Another death would crush her, hope was something she didn't have but she still longed for the idea of having Alex to herself again.
"I love you too Alex. Come back to me."
Things were set up perfectly. Any minute now Alex would come to him. After all this time he was going to have his chance to rip open Alex's rib cage, or better yet snap his spine with his bare hands. The thought of Alex fighting him was more important to Pariah than anything right now. Anyone of his recruits could look him dead in the eye and see the pure lust for blood in his eyes. He wasn't in rage, he was in love. He was in love with war.
All his life it was fight, fight, fight. Never once was there a time for peace. Survival was the only thing that attracted the attention of Pariah. He could vividly see the Doctors still experimenting on him from when he was younger. The gruesome images and the sounds of his own screams were making Pariah smile. Not bothering to think about it anymore in fear that the thoughts would get stuck in his head like they used to, Pariah sat down on one of the lounge chairs that time square had to offer.
Looking up all around him he stared blankly at the rain coming from the angry clouds above. Streaks of lightning roared here and there. He had a feeling Alex would drop in from the sky but he wouldn't be able to see it coming due to lightning. It was a funny thought to have but Pariah was ready for anything. His skin was crawling with anticipation for Alex to get here.
Taking a break from that Pariah let his attention fall on the Blackwatch troops he commanded. Many of them had no idea what was going to happen. Some thought that they were all going to gang up on Alex. But only the ones who knew Pariah well knew the truth.
"Elizabeth are you going to cheer me on when Alex gets here?" Pariah asked when his eyes spotted Greene walking right up to him.
"As a matter of fact I won't. I'm not picking any sides but I'm open to both. I hope you can understand that." Elizabeth sat down next to Pariah. She was much happier now that he had his clothes on. The white hood and Black vest were definitely weird pieces of attire for a commander to have but that didn't bother her.
Pariah got off the chair he once sat on and ran forward. Something strong was approaching them. No doubt it was Alex but where was he? A lightning strike illuminated the sky, just as the sky was illuminated Pariah was hit in the back. Falling face first into the ground his body ached from the blunt force he had just endured.
The infected forces set their sights on Alex but Pariah held his hand which in turn made several of the infected look at each other confused looks. Recovering from the attack Pariah got up and smiled. Having them intervene would ruin everything. It was about damn time that he got here, he was getting bored of waiting. Alex wasn't all too pleased with the result of his attack but he was just happy to have gotten a successful hit on the bastard.
"Thanks for joining us Alex. You enjoyed an easy life, but me on the other hand I grew up in a cage and now look at me. I'm at the top of the world." Pariah held his hands up awaiting for Alex to respond.
"You're not going to achieve anything today, you're only going to find yourself in the same spot you were in before. Looking for power is an endless game. I know you're just like me, but that is what makes us different. I'm not going to waste my time on this earth." Alex pulled his hood further down to stop the rain from falling onto his face. Pariah's smile was disappearing and Alex could tell that things were going to get rough.
"I'm doing what I have to do Alex. There's no point in changing who I am and denying my true destiny. If you're naïve you'll dismiss that but if you're something more in life you'll realize I'm right." Pariah said with his hands balled up.
"Oh you're right alright. It's just that my destiny isn't the same as yours. No, I'm here to stop you from messing up the world. The infection was a failed experiment and we're nothing but rejects, I know what I am. Now stop talking and start fighting."
Pariah came at Alex with a dash and went in for a punch. A large slimy tendrils ripped from his arms and whacked Alex square in the face. The amount force behind the punch was amazing, Alex couldn't believe he was still alive with the amount of pain he was in.
Running backwards Alex jumped far from Pariah. Activating his claws he landed with his fingers impaling the ground ready to send a batch of ground spikes into Pariah. The ground exploded under Alex and from where Pariah stood giant spikes emerged from the floor impaling him sharply. Blood seeped from Pariah but he wore a toothy grin. The spikes retracted into the ground and Pariah landed on his feet.
"SO this is what yours is like? Try mine." Pariah's arms exploded and his new found arms resembled that of a hunters if they had more fearsome looking claws. The dangerous man sent his hulking arm into the ground and Alex jumped back sensing the attack. Instead of spikes emerging from the ground there were Hydras. All of them swayed viciously before disintegrating.
If he wanted Pariah dead he was going to have to try harder than this. What Alex needed right now was a plan. What could Alex use in time square to his advantage? Alex didn't have time to think about it when a Pariah dive bombed on him. The whole street caved in and the spectators around them all frowned trying to see into the dust clouds that were now forming from the debris.
Walking over to the limp body of Alex, Pariah got down on his knees and grabbed Alex's head. The punches started off slow and weak but over time Pariah was able to give off a twenty punches per second. With each punch a batch of blood splattered out over and over again. It was getting to the point where Alex couldn't see because there was blood in his eyes.
"I'm not dead yet Pariah" Alex booted Pariah in the stomach where Pariah buckled back several feet away. Alex got up and clawed into his chest with his left hand, and spun in a circle cutting deeper into Pariah with his right arm that was taking the form of a blade arm. The cuts were deep but they didn't seem like they were doing much to disable the man. Pariah coiled his fist back but Alex uppercut him with his blade arm which tore through his skin like paper.
Pariah was still standing. He was a tough one Alex thought but Alex knew he couldn't keep this up forever. Alex was gasping, his head was killing him right now. Warning him that the guy he was staring at was serious business. Alex was going to smile at the damage he did on Pariah until he took off his vest and hood. Alex confused, backed away and got at a good distance to watch what Pariah was doing. He wasn't ready to fight again.
Pariah removed the last article of clothing on his upper body. There were bloody scratches all over his body. Some deeper than others but it was still a gruesome sight. Pariah wiped sweat off his forehead off with his hand and looked Alex directly in the eyes. Pariah flexed with a deep grunt. All in an instant all the wounds on his broken body were magically gone.
"My body is more versatile than yours Zeus. I'm the strongest life form there is on this dirt of a planet. Once I'm done killing you I'm going to destroy this precious world that you call home…." Pariah sat down on the rubble looking at his fist that was holding onto a piece of rock from the destroyed street "Then I'll rebuild it from scratch." Pariah finished off and crushed the rock in his hand.
Pariah threw the dust in his hand into Alex's eyes and transformed his arms into claws again. The man pounced onto Alex and clawed at him ferociously, Alex tried to fight back with his eyes painfully closed from the dust. From afar it looked like a crazy cat fight was happening. Both were trying to scratch the other while attempting to avoid getting cut up at the same time. Pariah landed a lucky slash on Alex's throat and punched him out of the crater that were both in.
Pariah got out of the hole and patiently walked his way over to Alex's tired body. Picking him up Alex couldn't move his body he was too weak to move a muscle. He was beginning to lose faith in his self. 'how the hell am I going to beat him? There's no point in trying, I'm already beaten.' Only one of his eyes remained open, the other was still regenerating.
"Something wrong there Alex pal? I think a nice refreshing drink would lift up your spirits. What do you think?" Pariah grabbed a hold of Alex in a head lock and pointed his head in the direction of a time square advertisement. 'You've got to be freaking kidding me.' On the screen was a flashing ad for Cocacola. Pariah snapped Alex's neck and then smashed his body into the ground, picking Alex up by the legs Pariah spun in place until he appeared as a tornado to the spectators.
Alex was thrown faster than a speeding bullet at the advertisement. His body his the screen like an anchor. Electric gigawatts travelled all throughout Alex. His body remained inside the screen for a few seconds but gravity slowly pulled Alex towards the earth. Alex fell multiple stories down until he landed on his head splashing onto the rainy floor.
It was over… Only one of them was left standing now. In the middle of the street lies the body of Alex Mercer. Unconsciousness fades over him, the rain stream of water rushing down the street mixing with his blood does nothing to wake him. The crowd stares intently at the body waiting for it to move but alas it does not. It was clear who the winner was. Pariah was getting ready to finish the job but a missile shot right into him.
A smoke cloud erupts from the initial blast zone. Everyone is shocked but too confused to do anything. An awkward silence is felt but that quickly ends when a massive choir of bullets is heard hitting multiple infected. What's this? An ambush!? Pariah has no time to figure it out when another missile strikes him again in the chest.
Everyone is running rampant. Helicopters firing from above, jets spraying their bullets at whatever target they can find, tanks rolling in and blasting nonstop, infected jumping up and down dodging oncoming fire. From a bird's eye view it looked like warzone.
Pariah got off the ground and searched for the poor soul who dared to shoot at him. He was going to make them wish they were never born! A giant flare was shot up to right, who shot it? The man who dared to shoot missiles at Pariah was aiming his arm at him with a small tube emerging from out of his forearm used to fire missiles. The man was inhuman, no he was half human!
For half a second they lock eyes. Pariah could feel the rage in him building up. The filthy cyborg interrupted his battle and now he was going to fight him. It was unacceptable. The cyborg looked behind him at two opposing Blackwatch forces. The two of them appeared to be male so Pariah knew they weren't on his side.
"Jason… Sam… Go get Alex. I'm handle this one." Mockinal announced with a strong voice. He had never risked his life for anyone else before but the sudden rush was hitting his heart now. It felt tremendously exciting and thrilling.
"You have some nerve trying to ruin me. I am going to end you and that hooded friend of yours." Pariah was flexing hard now. The amount of pressure and strain he was putting on his body was giving him a headache but he didn't care he was sick of all the crap happening right now that was ruining his plans.
"God you're even more edgier than Alex. How about you put on a shirt before I cut you in half Linkin Park." Mockinal was going to have no remorse for this coward. This was someone with too much power in their hands, and lucky for Mockinal he was designed to takeout infected individuals no matter how strong they were.
Sam and Jason ran forward hoping to avoid getting grappled by the infected, or hoping not to be blown to smithereens. Alex's body was still on the ground. Sam got down to his knees and grabbed Alex and started shaking him. 'Get up you emo shit. If you don't this'll all be in vein'.
Nothing, he was still dead lying sound asleep on the ground. Deep inside Alex there was a glimmer of the past. Dana was crying in Alex's arms. Just before she had been teased and bullied but Alex fended them off. Living together in these foster homes were hard, constantly being shifted, no one wanting to adopt them. Dana's only comfort was her older brother keeping her safe.
"Alex?" Dana said sniffling loudly. "Why do we bother trying at all?"
"We bother- We bother because we can Dana. We're human and that means we have more responsibility than any other species on this planet. I bother because I made a promise to always take care of you. No matter what happens I will always be there and I will do my best to do the right thing."
Alex awoke. The rain was pouring down hard. He had thought there were people calling his name but there was no one by his side. 'Pariah! I can't give up now, I have to keep on fighting.' Alex attempted to get up but coughed up blood falling to ground. The wet floor wasn't helping at all. 'I have to do this, this is my responsibility.' Alex tried with all his might to get up and made it on one leg. 'Looks like a war's going on. Hope it's not too late for me to rejoin the party.'
Author's note:
Even though I'm not pleased with what's happening to my writing I'm still happy that I have the chance to share this with you guys. I know my writing has changed spectacularly but all I can do is push on. Let me know how you liked this chapter. And what I can do to improve for next time.
