Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Prototype universe. All characters are property of those who own Prototype. If anybody tries to gain money off of this franchise - be forewarned. Alex Mercer will find you, and you may find yourself sharing the fate of Karen Parker.

Title: Infectum.

Summary: Blacklight is back. Toby Knight and Alex Mercer team up to uncover the source of the viral flare - and ultimately end up revealing more secrets from Blackwatch. Armageddon is a lot closer than anyone thinks. . . M/M, slight AU. Continued from Sanctum.

Rating: M. Finally upgraded it!

Author's Notes: So how many months has it been now? Shhhhhh.

Don't tell me.

So, a lot of you are wondering, just what the hell were you doing?

Well, rest assured, I was working on Infectum. Just, in an incredibly roundabout way! Ducky and I began to roleplay, and that has become very fruitful in the formulation of several ideas, not to mention I got a way better handle on Toby! When I wasn't roleplaying, I was writing shameless fluff and prompt requests for her. She's pretty rad, man, so I couldn't help it. All she has to do is say please and I do it. ;=;

We also started goofin' off and dropping the boys into random universes. At last count, I've written them in, "The Crazies," the videogame "Left 4 Dead," a few "normal life where there are no viruses whatsoever and they're all normal people" oneshots, and finally, they were deposited into you follow the link, you'll be treated to one or two of them, but a good portion are just for Ducky.

If you want me to write something, however, don't hesitate to send in a prompt. Or just be like, "Angel. What are you doing? Angel, STAPH."

Just for the lulz.

I haven't played Prototype 2, so no spoily-oilies. I need to get that and play it. OTL

This chapter is more drama than anything, but I promise you, the action is going to rise up like a cobra, and the end of the story is just going to go, "WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA'AM." Again, if there are grammatical or spelling errors, just tell me and I'll be happy to edit.

Please Note: FF is kind of being an asshole. It keeps fucking up my stylistic choices (like italics). So if you notice something weird, please tell me, and I'll update it. It's hard to catch everything, I swear, ugh!

Also the other day I was like, "what are the stats on this thing?" Found out it's sitting pretty at 5k. And I hope Ducky likes where I'm going with this. ;D

Warnings: Cursing, another *gasp* dramatic plot twist, and the plot thickens, and more cursing. Because Toby has the mouth of the sailor.

Buckle your seatbelts, kids, the end is approaching.

UPDATE:

Those drabbles I was talking about?
You can find the link on my profile.
Fluff, awkwardness, plotbunnies, and all sorts of other nonsensical things. A lot of them were written for Ducky after random prompts were assigned.

In this cold
Frigid and oh so lonely
I'm slowly moving toward
The center of a hostile world
Unexplored and in need of
More men like me to uncover
What lies at its ends

"The Mapmaker" - Jamie's Elsewhere

Toby suppressed a groan, and instead set himself to scrubbing at the back of his neck with his fingers.

He was exhausted. Their run-in with Blackwatch had left him sore and bruised, and he was fairly certain he'd find some brilliant contusions on his body the following day. Getting elbowed and jostled around by men stronger than you did not a good evening make. He blew out a gusty sigh as he turned his attention to the man seated next to him, deft fingers diligently working on the keyboard. The steady clack-clack was rhythmic, and Toby glanced at the computer out of idle curiosity.

Lines of codes and other things he couldn't begin to decipher glared back at him, processing so fast it was almost nauseous to watch. Alex had beaten them back to the apartment, as expected, and had begun working on decrypting the information immediately. Toby had followed him into the room set aside for Blackwatch information, leaving Keres to her own devices in the living room.

He was positive Alex had noticed her crying - pretty fucking hard to miss.

But he hadn't said anything.

His eyes had briefly flashed when he'd taken in Toby's blood and gore-stained Blackwatch threads, but, again, he hadn't said anything.

"How'd it go on your end?" He asked, wanting his voice to break the silence more than anything.

"As planned." Alex replied, not even sparing him a glance.

Toby looked at his face, highlighted by the light of the monitor, and noticed that Alex seemed a little. . . Pale. And there seemed to be bruises under his eyes. Those weren't there this morning. . . Probably lying to me, that son of a bitch. Wouldn't put it past him. Maybe he had to tackle a few Heavies?

He debated bringing it up, forcing Alex to tell him the truth. But he was too tired, and the feeling of dried blood and. . . Other questionable things on his skin made him hesitate. He wanted a shower. More than that, he wanted to get into an outfit that was his own. Just wearing the Blackwatch uniform made his skin crawl.

"The alarm went off." Alex said, startling him.

Toby's mind flashed, remembering the scuffle in the server room, how the hands had shoved him down and a cold barrel had been pressed up against his temple. . . More than that, he remembered the Blackwatch man. Jackson. Keres had stared at the human with such open, dark fear, it had made Toby wary.

If she was petrified of a human, just what the hell was this Jackson capable of?

"It did." He said, dragging himself from his thoughts. There was no use in lying or denying it.

Alex finally looked at him, eyes flashing under the cowl of his hood, and he pinned Toby with a glacial stare.

"Did she fuck up?" He asked, tone even, calm. Underneath it, however, Toby knew that he was just looking for an excuse to bash her face in. Alex didn't like her, and Toby knew he probably never would. They were polar opposites.

Toby shook his head, staring right back.

"It was a trap, like we suspected. She got us out of it, though."

"So she fucked up." His voice was growing tense, now, and Toby heaved a sigh.

"Get off it, Mercer," Toby said, rolling his eyes, "I'm not going to fight about this right now. I'm going to take a shower, and burn this fucking thing."

He was too tired to start fighting about Keres's mistakes or lack of. He made it to the door, wrapped his hand around the handle, before the steady clack-clack faltered a second time.

"What happened?" Mercer asked, his tone soft. Toby stopped, hand still wrapped around the doorknob, and he thought back, remembering the wicked gleam in Jackson's eyes, the easy way he had carried himself. He had to close his eyes to block out the image of Keres's head getting bashed, over and over again, and the disgusting cracking noise that had followed.

He'd come seconds away from greeting death.

He could still feel the phantom pressure of that barrel, cold and icy.

"We got into the base just fine. Downloaded the data, and when we were gearing up to leave, some Blackwatch soldier walked in. Jackson. Keres was scared shitless of him, that was for certain. She managed to get over it, turned a few of them into Hunters. . ." His voice still cracked when he said the word.

Just remembering the beast brought back the sharp memory of teeth biting into his side and tearing delicate muscle and skin apart. . .

Fuck, I'm just strolling down PTSD lane today.

Alex gave a grunt, and Toby opened the door.

"I'll see what I can find out." He heard Mercer murmur.

"Sounds good."

And with that, Toby stepped out into the hallway and closed the door, as softly and gently as he could.

He stood in the hallway for a good minute, trying to get a handle on his thoughts. Why would Blackwatch lay such an obvious trap? What purpose would it serve? What the hell was so important about that data?

He heard Keres in the living room, crying. It sounded muffled, as though she were shoving her face into the oversized sleeves of her hoodie, and it made Toby uneasy. He didn't like women crying. Not one bit. Both he and Mark had been raised to believe in the values of manhood - be strong. Never falter. And women needed to be protected. He didn't view them as inferior, but it was second nature to him now. Like how he'd hold open a door for someone, he'd just as easily stand in front of a female and take a bullet for her.

But she's not human, a snide voice in the back of his mind offered.

"Just stop it, Toby," He grated, forcing himself to the bathroom, "Just stop thinking. Now."

He closed the door behind him, and shucked his clothes in approximately five seconds. Toby stood in the shower and cranked the heat up as high as it would go, and though it scalded his skin, felt like liquid fire, he relished every second of it. The water below him turned pink and brown as blood washed off his body. He scrubbed at his skin, hard and fast, to rid himself of the feel of the battle, and the uniform he'd been forced to wear.

It felt as though with every second under the burning spray, he regained a little more of himself.

Toby felt as though he'd been reborn when he emerged from his room. He was dressed in a simple white shirt, old, weathered jeans, the thickest, most comfortable socks he had, and his own boots. He stretched, ignoring the sting of bruises, and let loose a contented sigh.

Yeah, pretty much the best fucking feeling ever.

Though his skin now carried a slightly pink and red tinge, and his mouth had been scrubbed to hell and back, he found he didn't really care. He had rid himself of the Blackwatch sludge that had covered his body, and now he was ready to tackle the world again. His first mission of priority: made good on his word and talk to a certain virus that was currently crying the living room.

Steeling his nerve, and finding renewed strength from his shower, Toby walked into the living room, and saw Keres seated on the couch, staring at the floor. Her cheeks were pale, and those same, dark purple bruises were pressed under her eyes. Both of her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and it appeared that she hadn't stopped crying. Her expression was faraway, glassy-eyed, and filled with pain. Tears streaked over her cheeks, unchecked, and it appeared it didn't bother her when they dripped from her chin.

It wasn't the crying that bothered him, so much as that expression.

He'd worn it many times himself, when he'd come back from the war. The memories and screams had been so powerful that he'd curled up into a ball, dug his fingers into his scalp, and wished it would all go away. There had been visions of children wearing bombs dancing in his head, the angry faces of men who killed in the name of religion, and shortly after that, horrendous monsters slaughtering his friends and family without a second thought.

Mark had understood. He'd been there. Those first few weeks, his brother had held him wordlessly, and Toby had let Mark keep him together. If he didn't have the strength to do it, he'd rely on somebody else to do it for him.

He cleared his throat, announcing his presence, and Keres blinked, before slowly lifting her gaze to meet his own.

"Hey." He said, tentatively.

"Hey." She parroted, before dropping her eyes again.

Toby stood there for just another moment before crossing the room to sit in the chair across from her. She seemed completely oblivious to his being there, and seemed content to stare at the floor. Her countenance bothered him. He was used to seeing the bubbly, goofy grins on her face, and the sparkle in her eyes when she looked at him and laughed in amusement. He wasn't used to this Keres - depressed, and wracked with an inner torment.

When the silence stretched on, Toby heaved a mental sigh. Looks like this isn't going to get talked through unless I keep poking her.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"So. Want to talk about it?"

"About what?" She echoed, voice still sounding distant.

"About him. That man. Jackson."

She flinched at his name, and a bitter smile twisted up on her lips. She scrubbed at her eyes with the sleeves of her hoodie, and her expression turned sour.

"You want to know about him? What do you want to know? I know e-everything about J-Ja-. . . Him."

"Hey, I'm just trying to help here," He said, slightly stung, "I'm not gathering intelligence."

Regret flashed across her face, and the bitterness died. She continued to stare at the floor, a tear occasionally slipping out, and it made Toby visibly uncomfortable. He kept shifting, wishing that she'd stop, because, goddamn, he hated it when women cried. It was the most surefire way to rip him apart inside, and feel like a total dick.

Even if it wasn't his fault.

"Jackson," She said, quietly, "Was my jailer. I've been alive for a long time, and I've had a lot of personal guards. . . But he was different. He wasn't scared of me, like the others were. He's not like the others. There's something in his head. . ." She trailed off for a moment, worrying her cheek, "He thinks I'm inferior. Like some kind of creature that needs to be dissected.

"Maybe that was it. The root of my problem. That's the. . . the power he has over me. I'm better than he is. In every way. But somehow, he's still able to beat me. When I was younger, I infected everybody I touched - happily. So they made this. . . This thing. It has buckles and straps and open ports for them to stick needles in. . . I call it the Jacket.

"I didn't want it. But Jackson came into my cell one day with it. I tried to infect him, to break him, but when I touched him, he shot me. It hurt so much I fell on the floor, and then he grabbed a knife. I don't remember anything beside the pain, that day. And when I woke up next, I was strapped into the Jacket."

Toby was silent, soaking it all in. It made a little bit of sense now - he could understand just a facet of what he'd seen in Jackson's eyes. If beings like Keres were so powerful, how were simple creatures such as humans able to keep them locked up for years and years?

"He was there," Keres continued, "Every time I tried to break free. He beat me, shot me, stabbed me, cut off my limbs. . . Year after year. And I gave up. Eventually, I had so many drugs in me, I couldn't even think. . . So now you know."

Toby watched as she looked down at her arms, and her mottled skin stared back at her. She flexed her hands, brick-red coloring shining in the light.

"I'm sor-"

"Don't," She snapped, voice filling with a dark rage, "Don't say sorry. You can't say sorry, because it won't make it better. Can you imagine? Years. I spent years holding myself, locked inside of a cell. My world was glass walls and cameras. They were just human - you are just a human. And yet you managed to lock me up. For years, you had power over me."

She was glaring at him, her blue eye changing color, threatening to wash out to a bloody red to match her second.

He'd never seen this side of her before. Sure, she was pissed when they were fighting Blackwatch troops, but her anger hadn't been directed at him. Her darkness was unexpected, and if he was being honest with himself, incredibly wary. Though it shamed him to admit it, he would have felt a million times more comfortable if he had a gun in his hands in that moment.

Every muscle in his body was tensed as he stared at the human-turned-virus before him.

She's still Keres. Just focus on that.

"You're right," He replied, "I won't be able to understand."

She quirked her head slightly, and the blue returned to her eye as she stared at him, curiously. He had expected her to jump up and start screaming at him, but she was quiet, and waiting for him to continue.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to understand. Nobody can. But you don't understand humans very well, either. The Blacklight Virus tore through everything I ever loved like paper. My life was wrecked in a second, and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. You and Alex have so much power, and we don't. I don't think you can comprehend how utterly overwhelming and frustrating that can be. The thought that with a single flick of your finger, you can kill a man, and we wouldn't be able to do anything to stop it."

She was sullen as she dropped her eyes back down to the floor, and Toby remembered the day that Mark had died. In an indirect way, it had been Alex's fault. Toby honestly believed, in a small part of his mind, that he still blamed Alex wholeheartedly for it.

"There are times I want to be a human," She said, eyes filling with pain again, "But I'm just a virus pretending to be one. Everything I have in me - it's all faked."

"You are a virus - there's no disputing that. But you've saved my life twice now. . . If you don't have any humanity or compassion in you, you would have just let me die."

She rubbed her hands together, looking uncertain.

He reached forward and caught one of her own, ignoring the way she instinctively tried to jerk it out of his hold. A moment later, a fierce shiver crawled through her as she looked up at him.

"If it means anything, I think everything you went through made you more human than anybody I know." He gave her hand a small squeeze, and was relieved to find that Keres smiled back at him. She tugged her hand back and wiped at her eyes, heaving a gusty sigh.

"I didn't know you were so poetic." She said, and Toby felt his cheeks heat for a moment.

He the back of his neck lightly, praying she didn't notice how abashed he was.

"Might be a Marine," He mumbled, "But I like to read. Can't be a stupid boot all the time. C'mon. Let's sit on the couch and watch Discovery or something until Mercer's done."

Keres nodded her head eagerly, and Toby was relieved. One virus solved, another virus to go negotiate and talk to to go. But that slaying of a colossus could wait until he was ready to undertake it. Toby got to his feet and went into the kitchen, grabbing two water bottles for the both of them before joining her on the couch. She'd already turned on Discovery, which, early on, Toby had found to be her favorite channels of all time. She loved learning a little too much, and would readily sit and stare at the screen for hours on end.

Video games were to preteen boys what Discovery Channel was to Keres.

Seating himself beside her, time began to pass as the pair of them became absorbed in some documentary about - ironically enough - the flu virus. Toby didn't mind, and either did Keres, apparently. She made a pretty good couch buddy, actually. And like Mercer, she radiated a comfortable heat, but today she seemed to be blasting more heat than usual. Power goes out, I could just use the both of them as space heaters. . .

That train of thought died quickly as he imagined Mercer running his hands under the lip of his shirt, eyes glowing in the dark, blunt fingernails running over scarred skin - and Keres watching from the foot of the bed and innocently saying, "Are you two going to wrestle again? Toby, you've been losing an awful lot lately."

He snorted, unable to suppress the chuckle, and Keres looked at him curiously, but he shook his head. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but her eyes flickered to behind them, and she lifted the remote and shut off the TV. Toby turned, looking at Mercer standing in the hallway, his hood down.

The man stood with a laptop in his arms, but he appeared. . . Haggard. Worse than he'd just seen him. It's only been an hour, two tops. What the hell?

Toby got to his feet and Keres followed, looking apprehensive.

"Cracked it?" Toby asked, feeling his stomach tensing. They were about to find out if their efforts had been worth it. If he'd almost died saving some valuable piece of information.

"There's only a data file." Mercer supplied, fingers scrolling on the touchpad as he held the laptop.

"All that for a single file?" Toby asked. God, what a rip. He'd almost died for a tiny scrap of info?

"What's it say?" Keres asked, anticipation rising in her voice.

"It declares Pariah captured and detained."

Alex delivered it clinically, and shut the laptop. Toby didn't understand what was so ground-breaking about that statement. He knew about Greene, and he knew about Pariah. He knew that Pariah and Keres had been close, and shared most of their time in captivity together. He knew that Mercer considered Pariah a threat, something to be killed, but Toby was withholding judgement. If the Blacklight Virus could spawn people like Alex and Keres, then Pariah might not be as evil as Mercer thought. Alex was examining the petite blonde next to him critically, and he turned to do the same.

Keres looked shell-shocked, her eyes wide. A moment later, it turned to horror.

"We have to go rescue him. Where's the base?" She said the words in a rush, almost frantic.

"Keres," Toby said, "I don't think-"

"No!" She said, whirling to face him, "Alex would come for you if Blackwatch had you! He would! I have to go save Pariah!"

I sincerely doubt that, but alright, he thought wryly. Alex tucked the laptop underneath his arm calmly, gaining Keres's attention.

"I'm not telling you, because we're not going after him."

Keres's eyes narrowed, and her body shimmered. Toby took a step backward, fearing that biomass would burst out of her body and strike him. Wouldn't have been the first time he'd been smacked or nearly stabbed by writhing black and red tentacles. Toby felt his skin crawl as she took a step forward, both of her eyes glowing a harsh, sickening red in the space of a heartbeat.

"Tell me," She said, darkly, "Or I'll find out myself."

The threat was stark, clear, and in-your-fucking-face. Inwardly, Toby was somewhat impressed with her. She never openly threatened Mercer, and Toby had never seen her like this. Her bitter sullenness just a few hours ago paled in comparison to her anger then and now. Normally she was meek and bubbly and just. . . Keres.

Now she was pissed off and didn't seem to give a flying fuck.

"If you try, I will stop you. That abomination can die. I'm not having another Greene walking around. Discussion ended."

In response, Keres stalked forward and made a reach for the laptop. Alex slipped it out from her her hand and held it away from her, agile and quick. Keres attempted to go for it a second time, but Alex held it away from her again. She growled, and her arm morphed at lightning speeds. A strand of biomass attempted to wrap around the computer, but Alex snatched it and held it in the air.

"Okay, that's enough. We don't have to fight-"

Alex squeezed the laptop, and it shattered into a million pieces.

Oh.

Oh shit.

Alex you motherfucking bastard!

Keres stood there, looking shocked again, and unholy rage made her eyes damn near pink. She let loose something akin to a screech, but it was laden with fury. She moved, checking Alex in the stomach with her elbow. Mercer smacked against the wall, and the tentacle he was holding wrapped solidly around his neck.

"Tell me where he is or I'll consume you myself!" She was yelling, her voice a low, guttural growl, and Toby felt a shiver crawl down his spine as Alex's eyes began to wash out.

"Give it your best shot." Mercer snarled back.

With sharp shing, claws sprouted where his hands had been, and he sliced through the tentacle holding him. He lunged forward, attempting to gouge open her stomach. Keres hopped back, and her own hands transformed, slightly smaller claws meeting his as he swung at her. Both of them glared, snarls on their faces. Their blades clattered as armor and metal rasped together, and their arms shook with the strain of pushing against the other.

Oh shit. This is going to get ugly.

Keres was out for blood, and all Alex needed was an excuse.

"Enough!" He barked, "Break it-"

Keres twisted, somehow lifting up her leg and nailing Mercer in the kitchen. She cried out again, a mixture of a war cry and a banshee's scream, and followed Mercer, biomass erupting out of her back with a sickening tear of muscle and bone, and she tried to jump on top of Mercer to begin consuming him. Mercer twisted, and the kitchen suddenly became a cyclone of destruction. Wood and appliances shattered and broke on impact as they wrestled, trying to gain the upper hand, and Toby stood there, following their path of destruction. He yelled at them, trying to get them to stop, but his cries fell on deaf ears.

Keres finally managed to get on top of Mercer, and that biomass stood at attention, readying to stab him and pin him down (fear made Toby's blood run cold at the thought of Mercer dying), but Alex grit his teeth and gathered his feet underneath him and kicked - and Keres was flying through the ceiling, breaking wood and plaster as she went sailing to the roof.

He rolled, staring at that hole, and crouched.

"Alex! No!" Toby screamed, running at him. He jumped, attempting to tackle the other man, but Mercer sprang up through the hole, following Keres to the roof. Toby crashed against the floor a split second after he'd jumped, but instantly rolled to his feet and sprinted to the stairwell. He could hear the crashes and almost-deafening boom, thud, crrrk! as they fought. He took the stairs two at a time and threw open the door leading to the room.

Most of the roof had already been decimated, and most of his equipment lay in tangled ruins around them. Thick, ropy strands of biomass laid everywhere, and both Keres and Alex were bleeding from their arms and their backs.

"I won't let you stand in my way!" She snarled, and launched herself forward. Alex's blades changed, and heavy fists the sizes of boulders came to life on his hands. He swung, catching Keres mid-leap, and used his and her motions to shove her down onto the roof. It buckled, forming a crater, and Toby wobbled as it threatened to cave the entire roof in.

"Enough! Both of you, cut it out! Alex, back the fuck off-"

One of the fists disappeared, and his blade popped into place.

He lifted it up high, a dark smile on his face as Keres writhed underneath his hand, trying to free herself.

"Alex! No!" Toby was running forward, intent on stopping him before he slaughtered the girl, decapitated her-

More biomass erupted out of Keres's back, a thick strand curling out from the base of her spine. It wrapped around Alex's leg and pulled, sending his strike wide. Keres rolled, coming to her hands and knees, but that biomass waved in the air behind her, forming and shaping into a sharp, serrated, metal tail. It thickened and lengthened, coming to roughly six feet in length and a foot in width. Armor formed over her feet and legs, sharp claws with glimmering metal talons. Blonde hair fell into her eyes, glowing red and narrowed on her target.

She launched herself, tail churning in the air around her, a claw raised over her head to bring down on Alex, and Mercer morphed the fist back into claws of his own. He reached up, intent on snagging her around the middle and holding her down while he ripped off her head with his blade-

But they stopped.

Toby stood there, heart hammering in his chest as both of them were frozen. He couldn't see Alex's face, or Keres's, and they were just frozen. He could see Alex's blade, posed just a centimeter away from her neck, but he hadn't sliced off her head. As though he were moving through ice, Mercer released her, as though they hadn't just been fighting, intent on killing each other. Keres's feet touched the rooftop, and she wobbled, her newly-formed tail dropping onto the ground with a noisy rattle.

A moment later, she dropped like a rock, face-planting right onto the rooftop.

"Keres! Keres!"

Toby was at her side in a second, grabbing her shoulders and rolling her over- and found her still.

Her mutations cracked, and fizzled away, like they hadn't even existed. Sightless red eyes stared up into the sky, glassy and faraway. Toby checked for a pulse, and then bit out a strong curse at remembering she didn't have one, and patted her cheek, trying to get a reaction out of her.

"Keres, Keres, look at me. What's wrong? Alex," He snapped, "What did you do?"

She coughed, then, and Toby looked back down at her and found biomass was bubbling and dripping out of her mouth. It was so dark and thick it looked like oil, and she coughed and spluttered as she tried to breathe around it. Toby searched for an injury, something to indicate what Alex had done, but he failed to find anything. He snapped his head back, intent on screaming at Mercer to fucking fix her. . .

And found Alex slumping onto his knees.

They made eye contact for all of two seconds before Alex coughed, and the same black sludge began to swell and drip from his mouth. He pitched forward, hitting the wreckage of the roof before Toby could catch him.

He stared in a combination of horror and shock as both of the viruses rasped, trying and failing to breathe around the black gunk. Though she didn't seem lucid, Toby squeezed Keres's hand and left her to join Alex. He rolled him over, and found the same, unseeing gaze staring at the sky above them. Unsure of their injuries, Toby began to shake Alex's shoulder.

"Alex. Alex, answer me. What the fuck is going on? Alex!"

Mercer didn't reply. Not even when Toby leaned forward and applied his entire body into a sternum rub. Both of the viruses just laid there, trying to breathe and choking on the black tar.

Ragland. Go get Ragland. Phone's on the cradle.

He was on his feet in a millisecond.

"I'll be back!" He said, fear leaking into his voice. Toby did his best to hold the panic back - he was a soldier. He didn't have the time to feel useless, frivolous emotions like panic and desperation. And yet, here he was, tamping them down while they threatened to claw their way free. He threw himself into the stairwell again, and was inside of the apartment a second later, scanning the living room for the phone. He lunged for it, and his thumbs started pressing fucking buttons before he could tell them to stop, knowing that time was of the essence, he couldn't make mistakes-

And the TV came on.

Toby startled, turning to face it, and found the smiling visage of Jackson staring back at him.

The Blackwatch soldier was sitting in a chair, and his hands were clasped neatly in front of him. Those green eyes stared at Toby, reflecting a hidden smugness.

"Hello, Toby Knight," He said, quite amiably, "I understand that, as I speak, you are probably holding a phone in your hand, a thumb just about to hit the 'call' button. I would strongly advice against that. We have soldiers set outside of Ragland's hospital, and should he attempt to leave, he will be shot."

Toby hesitated, and Jackson paused, eyes crinkling as he smiled.

"I'm not lying, Knight. You know I'm telling the truth. I also know that, right now, at this very moment, you're panicking. Both viruses have collapsed, and are coughing up dead biomass tissue, which sent you to get the phone in the first place-"

"You bastard." Toby breathed. It had been planned. Engineered.

But how?

How did Blackwatch manage to get the both of them. . .

They're not dead, they're not dying, fuck, fuck fuck fuck-

"-rest assured, Toby, that they're not dead. . . Not yet, anyway. Blackwatch has the capability of repairing the damaged Blacklight tissue, and I'm sure you can understand what this implies."

The smile grew, that smugness flickering strongly in his eyes. He looked like some wolf, just waiting for him to realize that he was fucked, and then he'd grin and bare those fangs and sink them into Toby. The Marine closed his eyes and took in a deep, shaky breath. The phone creaked in his hand as his grip tightened, and he could feel his knuckles going numb.

"That's right, Knight," Jackson all but purred, "Here is the address where we can be reached. I'd hurry if I were you. . . Seventeen and Zeus don't have much time."

And the Blackwatch trooper's body flickered away, replaced by a simple black background and white letters proclaiming the address. Toby knew it. It was down by the pier, by the docking warehouses. Ironic. Didn't that happen in every mobster movie ever made? "Go down to the pier, Johnny'll meet ya there."

The screen powered off, but that hardly mattered.

It cracked and shattered into a million pieces as Toby threw the phone at it.

"Come on, baby, it's okay," He said, soothingly, "I've got you - I know, I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Toby picked Keres up tenderly, his heart skipping a beat as she offered a agonized moan. She was light, and weighed next to nothing. She was pale, and breathing fast and hard, her face flushed heavily. That black shit kept bubbling up from her mouth, and Toby didn't bother to suppress a shiver as it dribbled onto his arm and over his skin. She cracked her eyes open as he walked, ensuring not to jostle her as he slowly made his way out to his truck.

"Wha. . . T-Toby?" Her voice was weak, and she sounded confused.

Toby shot her a smile, easily and calmly.

"It's okay. I'm just going to go take you to Ragland, he'll fix you up. Okay?"

Her features smoothed out as utter trust flooded her eyes, and she closed them again and leaned her forehead against his chest. Inside, Toby felt his heart shattering. I'm so sorry.

"I d-don't feel good." She mumbled.

He got down to the street, and through some black magic, managed to maneuver the truck door open and place her in the backseat of the cab. He laid her down, sacrificing his camo jacket as a pillow. She loved the damn thing. Keres, over the time that he'd known her, had become notorious for sneaking into his room and stealing his clothes. He honestly didn't understand why, and after the first few times, it had actually become a game he'd enjoyed playing. He crafted new hiding spots, and she eventually discovered them and stole his clothes to wear again.

Keres didn't even notice when he gently extricated his arms and closed the truck door softly.

He turned and made his way back into the apartment, and found Mercer in the living room (where he'd relocated the both of them in his frantic attempt at planning his next move - he couldn't just leave them on a rooftop), struggling to sit up. He kept scrubbing at his mouth, but it was a feeble effort, as more and more of the black tar kept trickling over his lips. Upon seeing Toby, his eyes focused slightly, and he stared at the Marine.

Toby came beside him, and wrapped an arm around his waist, and hooked the other over his shoulder. Mercer, weak as he was, refused to be carried.

"C'mon," Toby coaxed, "You can sit in the truck. Sleep on the ride over."

"Ragland?" Alex asked, having difficulty supporting his head.

"Yeah. Already called him." Toby replied.

He hoped Alex didn't notice how his voice cracked.

He didn't have a choice. In the thirty minutes he'd spent finger-fucking around, Alex and Keres had gotten worse. Black, decayed veins had spread under their skin, and more and more of the black shit kept pouring from their mouths. Toby knew Jackson hadn't lied - they were running out of time. They were walking, talking viruses. And somehow, Blackwatch had poisoned them. He didn't claim to know an awful lot about Blacklight viruses, but he knew that they were dying. With the right toxins, it was possible. Alex had told him of a time where he'd needed Ragland's help in forming an antibody to Bloodtox.

But Ragland was under surveillance.

And that left him with only one option.

Toby helped Alex into the passenger seat of the truck, and making sure the man was buckled in, Toby slid into the driver's seat and started the vehicle.

He drove. He didn't stop, nor did he hesitate. Alex was too out of it to keep track of where they were going, and Keres appeared to be asleep in the backseat. But Toby drove onwards, knowing he only had one option left to him. He prayed along the way, wishing and hoping that whatever deity was listening would take pity on them all and help him get his family out of this.

He almost chuckled at that.

Fuck.

Fuck me.

He'd lost everyone he'd ever cared about. Mark. Cavin. Scott. His entire fucking team. And through all of the trials and hardships, he'd found Alex. And, later on down the road, another virus with blonde hair. And they were a family. A dysfunctional, easily breakable family, but which one wasn't?

And maybe that's why a single, frustrated tear crawled down his cheek.

If they were his family, then why did Toby feel like he was handing them over to a kill squad?

The drive was fucking short.

It hadn't even been that far away.

Immediately, he saw the bulky vehicles of Blackwatch transports, and a squadron of the fuckers were assembled in a rough semi-circle as Toby drove up onto the pier. One of them waved for him to stop, and he did so. He turned off the truck, and tucked the keys into his pocket. He had no fucking idea how this was going to go, but he hoped it went easily. Nicely.

Alex and Keres would get better. Blackwatch wouldn't want them to die. They needed the viruses for some ungodly reason.

He swallowed past a thick tightness in his throat as he got out of the truck, and moved to Alex's side. None of the Blackwatch soldiers said anything as he coaxed a drunken-like Alex out of his seat. He got the man to stand against the side of the truck, and he heard a decidedly familiar, smug voice call out into the air.

"Hello, Toby. I knew you'd make the right choice," Jackson said, voice echoing in the air around them, "If you'd be so kind as to escort the first virus towards the Blackwatch troops?"

Toby gritted his teeth, but did it. He held Alex tenderly, silently willing the man to understand that he was doing what was best for them, he really, really was-

Several soldiers swarmed over him in a heartbeat, and Toby stilled, fear pumping through him, but they just ripped Alex away from him and held some kind of high-tech injector up to his throat. Before Alex even knew what was going on, he was out cold, and being carted to one of the transits. Toby got the glimpse of some kind of holding tank, he turned as he saw a figure standing there, hands clasped behind his back.

Jackson looked at him and smiled.

Toby resisted the urge to go over, steal a knife, and punch it through his skull.

"Excellent. Now, do the same for Seventeen."

It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. It'll all turn out alright.

Breathing in steadily, it took every ounce of training that Toby had not to break down and just go fucking crazy. He opened up the backseat of the truck, and found Keres stirring, eyes cracking open. Toby didn't trust himself to speak as he began to extricate her from the back of the truck. And Keres didn't fight him. He helped her get to her feet, and she looked around, head swaying slightly, and her eyes landed on the Blackwatch troopers.

Fear rippled through her, and she shrunk into him, weak fingers clutching at his shirt.

"T-Toby?"

Words stuck in his throat, and he just held her, fighting back tears. Fuck. Fuck it all to hell.

Blackwatch soldiers detached, and much in the same manner, grabbed for her. Keres gave a weak cry and battled against them, fighting for all she was worth. Toby moved, trying to help her, unable to stand by any longer, but hands locked over him, and somebody kicked out his legs, forcing him to his knees.

"Stop! No! No!" She wailed. Through her struggles, she turned, and through some miraculous twist of fate, she locked eyes with Toby again.

"I'm sorry," He said, tears welling in his eyes, "I'm sorry!"

He could see the thoughts flashing through her mind.

You betrayed me.

You gave me back!

Somebody stepped in front of him, and he lifted up his head to find Jackson standing over him, heaving a sigh as he toyed with another injector.

"Oh, Knight. Knight, Knight, Knight. You've grown emotionally attached, haven't you?"

Red clouded his vision, and he lunged forward, fighting against the hands and the arms holding him down. He was going to tear out Jackson's throat was his own fucking hands, goddamn it. This was all his fault! He was going to have to suffer through somebody taking everything he loved again, and it wasn't fucking fair-

Jackson grabbed his chin, holding him as though he were some insolent child.

Toby heard a small hiss, and a needle pierced his neck. His heart as thundering in his chest, but seconds later, the world was spinning around him, a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. Jackson stood there, a grin illuminating those wicked green eyes, and he heard him chuckle as everything began to cascade into darkness.

"Don't worry, Toby," Jackson's words echoed in the void, "We'll fix them. And we'll fix you, too."

A second later, and the world slipped through his fingers.