Dana had tried to stop him, she really did. But like the man he was before, what was now Alex was stubborn. He refused to sit back and wait for Elizabeth to come to them. He had to go to her- Blackwatch or not. Dana only had a slammed door to look on as she tried to stop Alex' ascent to the tower's roof. By the time she had reopened the door and peered over the edge of the roof, a weightless man shaped figure was fading into the commotion as it glided to the roof of the building a few blocks over. Manhattan was an ill omen on the horizon, a few fires still burning to illuminate the cool evening in an unsettling orange.

She lingered for what felt like an eternity, watching her brother's sillouette disappear. Whispering a prayer into the wind for her Alex' safety, Dana turned and made her way back to the exit door. Just as she pressed the handle, something hit the highest floor hard and fast. The building shook violetntly, startling all its inhabitants.

The bridge to Manhattan was approaching fast. A solid blockade ahead keapt any unwanted guests from making their way across. Security cameras sweapt side to side on the catwalks below- his previous method of crossing the harbor. Now there was no way across. At least at first glance that was the case. Upon further inspection from a nearby rooftop, Alex could discern that the Viral Detectors had been disabled. Their once flashing green lights were dorment. Seemed Blackwatch wasn't expecting guests.

He could feel energy surging within him. The recent 'meal' had left him invigorated and ready. That energy seemed to respond to his smile, emerging as raw change. Everything shifted, giving the disguise of a Blackwatch officer as he called up the memory. This would get him close enough to the gate but he had to consume someone still /living/. No doubt the military was tracking its losses to know who was alive and who was dead. No doubt they knew his form was that of a dead man.

Once on ground level, he acted as if he was on a standard patrol around the Quarentine parameter. A few military grunts saluted his way but he simply gave a nod for them to stand down. They all seemed... so relaxed, but he couldn't risk getting over confident.

Something didn't seem right. Something was off. A chill ran down his spine as he scanned the area. The pupils of his still ice blue eyes opened wide, becoming black discs as he surveyed the area. He could see no signs of infected individuals other than himself as he glanced at his own gloves. The reassurance still didn't comfort him. Something was strange and it made his breath hitch in his throat. Just as he was about to scan his surroundings normally, he felt himself collide with another man.

The BlackWatch Commander nearly came out of his shoes, resitting his goggles before reaching for his gun. "Damnit, What in God's name are you doing soldier?!" Alex stammered before coming to attention. His 'host's' memories led him to believe that he was a single rank lower.

"P-Patrolling sir.." he responded a little weakly. The man before him didn't look convinced.

"Your name soldier?"

Alex was silent, mind trying to make the connections fast enough. So many memories..

"I said. Your NAME Soldie-" The man coughed, bending over to wrech in pain.

Alex felt his heart race, the tendrils seeping from his bodyarmor and clothes to encase the officer before him. The corner was thankfully quiet and dark on account of an alleyway. He backed in, using the cover of a dumpster to allow his form to shift. Then he stepped back out onto the street to retrieve the soldier's firearm that he'd dropped. He then made his way towards the barracade and approached the guards on duty. They immediatly came to attention, saluting.

"Commander Neil!"

"At Ease. I need to cross." The two patrolmen looked at each other then back at Alex.

"Right away sir. One moment while we unlock the gate." The first turned to a keypad, punching in a series of numbers and symbols. An alarm buzzed and the locking mechanism gave way. The gate then slid to the side on wheels, allowing Alex passage whom simply began to walk. By the time the gates behind him had closed, he was off in a sprint so fast that anyone around didn't have any time to comprehend what had happened.

A few blocks in and Alex came to a stop, glancing up at the sky as an explosion rocked the night sky. Yet another, an orange fireball rising from the sky at the edge of the quarentine. His walkie came to life, radio chatter galore.

"What the fuck was that!?"

"Report, Little Mama. Big Papa and Fat Boy has fallen off our radars. Over."

"Somethin' just ripped right through em!" A pause, the pilot gasping in fear. "NO. GET BACK. STOP-AUUGUHHH---" A blood curdling scream and another explosion. The line went dead, only static to fill the still air.

A volley of tanks screamed past, a few more choppers buzzing overhead frantically. Then came a few platoons of footsoldiers. Alex could read their ammunition packs on their belts--DX1120. BLOODTOX. As they passed, he thought deeply on what could possibly be the culprit.

Nothing could possibly bring down a BlackHawk, let alone 'blow right through it'-- Unless. Alex jumped, a noise startling him. He began digging into his pocket to retrieve the device responsible. His phone rang: Dana. He answered without hesitation.

"Elizab-eth.. Here.. Shanna's.. the baby...Please come quickly.." Dana's voice cracked on the other side, along with a frantic scream and a distressed grunt. The line went dead with Alex staring into nothingness with a daze. His heart was racing. Elizabeth took down the choppers. She had to have been. She was the only person, the only THING capable of doing that.

Something had angered her. Maybe she knew he was coming and saw it as a chance to strike. He couldn't bare to fathom the worst. In the flash of an eye he pocketted the phone and took to the streets. He could clear the checkpoint with ease but it meant blowing his cover and raising a truly unneeded alarm. None of that mattered, Dana and Shanna needed him.

It was only the blink of an eye before Alex had arrived at the skyscraper he had moved Dana and Shanna to. Sure they were safe from the military but he had never anticipated that Elizabeth would make an advance. People were already gathering below as visible sparks flew from the upper stories a good 50 stories up. Chunks of glass littered the ground and still othes fell. Now was no time for secrecy. Spectators or not, Alex let go of his inhabitions and sprung to life. Soaring high, he latched onto the building and hurdled himself forward, leaving behind a crowd of amazed and horrified people. Some even recognised what they were watching and screamed. It was the Manhattan inccident all over again- OUTSIDE the Quarentine.

The scene was gruesome. Broken glass everywhere, furniture shredded and tossed aside like paper machet. He spotted Dana first, barely concious with a dead dellphone in hand. Alex immediatly knealt at her side, shifting himself back to the form she knew. He rolled her over, gently tapping her cheek with his hand as he called her name: "Dana can you hear me?!"

"Alex.. Elizabeth came.. after you left.. She broke in.. started screaming.. screaming for Shanna.. I tried to stop her but..." It was obvious that Dana was in bad shape; Three of her ribs were broken, another two cracked. Her leg was shattered and blood dribbled from the sides of her mouth, indicating internal damage. Alex bit his lower lip, shaking his head side to side.

"Shanna-?" He asked pleadingly. Dana's eyes held the answer. Already he could hear sirens. The elevator down the hall dinged and he could hear a stampede of feet down the hallway. EMT's stormed in, Alex darting up and pointing to Dana. "Take care of her NOW."

He followed Dana's line of sight, overturning a couch with ease to find Shanna next to a shattered fishtank, little exotic fish bouncing and gasping for water. Immediatly he felt his stomach wrech. For the first time since his rebirth, Alex turned away and cupped his mouth. He gagged, unable to hold back the urge to vomit. He had seen flesh and limbs torn a thousand different ways at his own hands, but this.. this was too much.

Carefully he approached the barely concious Shanna. Her abdommen.. gone. As if a feral creature had torn into it and yanked the little life free. Shanna coughed, crimson spattering everywhere as it bubbled up from her throat. Alex carefully raised her hand, the other grasping her head weekly. "No Shanna, no no no.." He pleaded. He clenched his lips, trying to fight back the human urge to weep.

A second batch of EMT's made their way into the penthouse, stepping over the broken remainds of the countertop, gear in hands. They saw the blood, and Alex knealt over the body. "Sir let us handl--" One said, coming to a complete halt as he grabbed Alex' shoulder and knealt down to get a look at the injured.

Shanna was in awful shape- the EMT's knew it, Dana knew it, and Alex knew it. No amount of miracles could save her life now. Alex watched in agony as Shanna tried swallow the pain, only to cough again and shiver.

"Alex.. she has our baby.. she has Alexis... I heard her cry..." Shanna spoke, the sound muffled and garbled by the liquid filling her lungs. Alex knew nothing he could do would save her. He held her hand gently, brushing hair from her face as the first of many tears trickled from the corners of his eyes and splashed onto her cheeks.

"Don't die on me. Please Shanna.. Please.." He pleaded over and over, refusing to accept her mortality. He was immortal, why couldn't she be.

But now--He was as mortal as any other man. He was.. human..

"It's too late Alex.. I'm dying.. but our baby.. Alexis is out there, with that Monster-" Shanna paused long enough to cough again, trying to catch her breath. She was fading quick, from the bloodloss and the fluid filling her lungs. "You get.. your ass out there and find our baby... Promise me.." She clutched his hand as best she could, Alex returning the favor but still shaking.

"I promise.. but please Shanna. Don't--" He tried to fight her protests and still he was powerless to reverse mortality. He couldn't stop death- not this time.

"Alex.. That thing.. where you make someone part of you.. Will you.. do that to me.... Then tell Alexis everything I couldn't..." Her eyes bored straight into his own and he shook his head in horror. "Don't argue with me.. not now.."

He shook his head still, hanging it low. She clung to his hand, if weakly. "Shanna, I won't let you down.. I'm going to find Alexis.. raise her right.."

"I know you will. Everyone says you're a terrorist.. but.. They never got the chance to meet you..Im proud to say that I love you.." Another cough, her face twisting into one of agony as she cried in pain. Every nerve ending was firing rapidly. A cold sensation creapt up from her feet, making her shiver. Alex bent low, pressing his lips to hers for the last time, parting as he whispered to her.

"I love you too Shanna.." And with that, he glanced away as the unsettling sensation of the tendrils seeped forward from his body. They encased every inch of Shanna's dying form, and slowly her eyes closed. The smile faded from her lips as every inch vanished into an undisquishable substance that was quickly absorbed. The tendrils receeded, leaving Alex behind in a lonely heap of sorrow. Sobs wracked his frame as the EMT's stood by in horror. None dared move, fearing that the Manhattan killer would take their lives too. His eyes made connection with theirs but instead of rage and feral desires to kill, there was only emptyness like that of a lost dog.

Memories.. hundreds came flooding back simaltaniously. He gripped his head before arching back and letting out a blood curdling cry. Then as if struck by a bullet, Alex keeled over, gripping at his stomach in pain. Every muscle throbbed with fire and his blood boiled. Something had snapped internally. Something that held him back before was finally set free- a blood thirsty vengeful creature. The virus' potential, as it were.

To any mortal, the scene was horrific to watch. To make it worse, the whole world watched too, as a News chopper hovered just outside the window with a floodlight and cameras galore. It was a scene for all to see. Alex' jacket tore, giving way to a dark fleshy hide that pulsed and grew. His face gave way to a top and bottom row of teeth while his eyes sunk deep within to become black pits. Every muscle expanded, skin darkening as fingers became scythe like talons. Jeans gave way to a powerful set of legs. Human cries of pain and sorrow were turned into beastial roars. The sound was deafening, every human within earshot making an effort to shield themselves from its damaging pitch.

His chest rose and fell, bare and dripping with an oozy sweat. Nostrils flared wide at the tip of a snubbed Hunter-esque face. His eyes focused on Dana who looked upon him with worry. Then in one great leap he hurled himself from the building, nearly slicing through the news bird. Alex hit the ground with ground shattering force, leaving a crater several yards wide before bounding off at breakneck speeds. The chopper struggled to keep pace as it followed what they considered to be a mutation set loose beyond the Quarentine zone.

With each heavy step, his claws heaved up mounds of concrete as he burst through the checkpoint, shredding the metal fence. Militiant groups opened fire but their bullets did nothing more than to add fuel to the raging fire. The creature's mouth gaped wide in one defiant call, a name. Elizabeth. The news chopper completely ignored the No Fly zone and quickly blew past the Quarentine border over the river.

Nothing could stop that terrible thing- Bullets only angered him. Rockets seemingly bounced off his hide and the resulting explosion didn't stunt his speed. Cannon fire was like a light slap, only derailing him for a moment before he was back on course at violent speeds. In a matter of minutes after ripping through the gridwork that was manhattan, he'd arrived at the Gen-tek building. Most of the windows had been broken out with gunfire, the ground littered in debris from explosions, bodies, and any manner of unrecognisable matter.

He stood in the courtyard, raised up on what would be his hindlegs, stance reminscent to that of a bear. His nostrils flared, jaw agape to release a low beastial growl. Immediatly he inhaled, belting out an earsplitting roar to let his prey know he'd arrived. Only silence responded, followed by a gentle echoe. There was no gunfire, no helicopters. No car alarms.. Everything was silent. His eyes, black and hollow as they were, followed the contours of the gentek building and focused on a gaping hole. Sparks radiated out from shredded wires while wind blew loose glass segments free.

In an instant the beast hurled himself up onto the wall of the building, managing a jog up the vertical incline. One final vault landed him on the 51st floor, the heart of the crater.

And there, sitting on the same table onwhich he found her, was Elizabeth Greene- holding a bundle of cloth, stained with blood.

"I knew you'd come.. Such a dedicated father.."

Alex didn't respond, only letting out a low hiss of displeasure. This made Elizabeth giggle, the naked woman clutching the bundle closer protectively. She began to hum, singing a little tune..

"Hush little baby don't you cry, Mommy's gunna sing you a lullaby..."

He could only snort with anger, scratching at the floor. Inching closer, until finally he froze as Elizbeth snapped up to stare straight at him.

"Why..." He hissed, vocal cords barely forming the words. It came out as a metallic screech, gurgling deep in his throat.

"Why?" Another mocking laugh erupted from Elizabeth. Alex' patience was boiling over.

"Why should you.. get to keep your child.." A pause as she stood and set the bundle on the table. She began to approach Alex, mere feet from him. "When I couldn't keep mine.."

"Why Shanna.. She didn't.. have to die.." The beast took a few steps back, recoiling from her hand as she reached forward.

"She was doomed and you know it. You'll never have a normal life- or a normal child.. You would have only killed her someday." Another step closer, another step back. He growled, snapping at the air.

"I'm going to rip you apart. You won't even be A MEMORY!" Alex leapt into action, hurling his monstrous bulk towards Elizabeth with violent force. The two went flying into a nearby wall, Alex wrapping his fist 'round her skinny torso and squeezing with all his power. Her hands grasped at his own, pushing with enough force to counter his stength. Shocked, Alex felt his grip wane long enough for Elizabeth to nail his lower jaw with a bone-shattering kick. He released her, the spritely femme landing with the elegance of a butterfly.

He found himself pinned to a wall, neck grasped firmly in a writhing red fleshy tendril extending from Elizabeth's shoulder. Already her legs had begun to fuse, twisting her form into something wreched and disgusting. Tendrils reached out, grabbing the bodies of freshly killed soldiers, encasing them and dissolving them to an oily substance. Each little drop added to a snake-like tail that extended from her legs. The transformation complete, she rose up to tower above Alex, lifting his weight with the slick red tendril that now threatened to crush him alive. He was beggining to suffocate, chest rapidly rising and falling as he gasped for air.

With both hands, he grabbed at the tendril and twisted in opposite directions. With a quick pull, the tendrils snapped, whithering and breaking down into a disgusting ooze. Immediatly Elizabeth regenerated her limb. By the time she charged for another assualt, Alex was on his feet and making a mad dash. One great leap sent him high above her, swinging his talons like one single deadly blade. Her newfound figure granted her lighting-quick agility, dodging the attack with ease. She reeled around, massive tail slamming into Alex and sending him flying.

His mind blurred from the violent onslaught, reaching out to catch anything as he hurdled through the building, shattering one wall and colliding with another. He heard a resounding crack, going limp. Already he was beggining to weaken, using his biomass stores to repair his shattered spinal column. As Elizabeth slinked towards him, he stood and reared back for another charge.

The two collided in a fit of hisses and growls, Alex grappling onto the disgusting abomination that was Elizabeth as they hurdled towards the edge of the shattered concrete that made up the 51st floor. She attempted to keep from falling by grabbing into a piece of exposed rebar but it was too late. Fifty floors later, the two landed hard, Alex dominating the devastating attack. The ground shattered, debris and shattered concrete shredding Elizabeth's serpentine body on impact. She retaliated by swinging the greater bulk of her tail, throwing Alex to one side. He slid along the concrete, talons leaving substancial scars in the stone.

"I'll never be just a memory.." Elizabeth whispered, slithering from the crater before arching her arms high. Alex knealt low to retain balance as the ground shook beneath his feet, feeling the trembles get worse. Moments later, the concrete gave way to a good two dozen Hydras. Each one's head slplit, gaping maws giving way to a bloodcurdling chorus of screams.

Alex glanced around frantically. Two of these things were difficult enough to manage. But two dozen would quite literally tear him to shreds. They all screamed and hissed, tongues flailing as a display of power. One emerged right beneath Elizbeth and rapidly began to dissolve upon contact with her, merging with her already lengthy form. the remaining two dozen followed suit, disrupting the concrete as they surged towards their queen. Each added to her bulk, the final result of terrifying size-- towering around four stories tall.

Alex dodged to one side as the resulting creature's tail slammed down violently, the extremity massive enough to crush him with one fell swoop. She was large enough now that if she managed to grab ahold of him, he'd be engulfed in her grasp. Overhead he could see several helicopters circling. Immediatly they began to bombarding the monstrous thing with volleys of rockets and gunfire. It did little more than succeed in pissing her off. Using her powerful tail as a lift, she rose and swung one great arm at a few. One managed to dodge, the others erupting into violent explosions against her arm.

Something caught his attention though.. Each time a missle struck her right shoulder, she'd scream in pain. Perhaps, just perhaps.. If she'd used his genetic structure to rebuild herself, maybe she'd managed to adapt his abilities along with his weak point. His right shoulder, a seemingly unimportant location. However he understood why. He thought back to the fight with Captain Cross- and the substance he was injected with. The HAMMER parasite, if he remembered correctly. That was the exact point he'd been struck with the needle; the exact point from wich the resulting cancer began to eat away at his body.

Filled with a new resolve amidst the odds, Alex found the courage to leap atop the beast's great tail, digging each talon in as he scaled the length of her back, slashing as he went just to aggrevate her. The results were reassuring, Elizabeth howling in agony as he tore away. Upon reaching her right shoulder, he began to bombard the unusually scarred tissue with anything he could throw at it. Breathing a defiant roar, both arms shifted to his fondest offensive weapon aside from the blade- the biomass claws. Each time he dug in, he'd grip and pull out. fistfulls of flesh followed, until finally one great fisted talon burst entirely through the greater right half of her torso.

Now he'd gotten her attention, Elizabeth eagerly reaching for him. Each time he'd dodge to one side, claws dug in like climbing spikes. She attempted flailing, tossing her upper body about wildly in an effort to dislodge the pest. But Alex hung on for the ride, refusing to let go. Doging left and right, occassionally up as she reached around and under, he felt confident that he'd eventually weaken her enough to start doing irrepearable damage.

Overconfidence bred mistakes however, as a single mistep left Alex wide open. Elizabeth managed to grab his leg, hurling him around before tossing him in the air and clenching her fist 'round his form. Immediatly she started to squeeze, Alex struggling to counter her power. He felt her raise him higher, hand opening and releasing him a short distance above her gaped mouth.

He found himself plunged into darkness, massive muscles dragging him deeper and deeper into the belly of the abomination. Already tendrils began to grab and pull at him but as sliced one, three more would replace them. The space was uncomfortably confined as he slid further and further beyond the point of no return. His chest heaved, the lack of oxygen putting quite a damper on his cognition.

This was it- he was going to die, he knew it.

Memories.. a pleasent smile and the warm hearted face of a mother, a loving mother. His Shanna..

He couldn't give up now- not when everything he cared about had been wrapped up in that little white bundle and abandonned. He had to get back, he had to take his child into his arms and carry her home. He had to raise her right. He just..

His mouth gaped with an earsplitting cry as he balled up, body surging violently as fleshy tendrils amassed into spikes.

On the outside, the choppers discontinued their barrage, hovering harmlessly over Elizabeth as they circled curiously. She'd ceased her assaults, glancing down at the enlarged abdommen where her meal sat. A disgusting sight for sure as the mass shifted and writhed. Then a scream as a pain struck her. The beast flailed, attempting to dislodge the annoyance. Silence fell over the courtyard, only the hum of the choppers blades disturbing the stillness of the air.

Something was happening, something inside. In the blink of an eye, hundreds upon hundreds of thick spikes burst from Elizabeth's body, shredding it from the inside. She lacked the means to regenerate, eyes going blank as the gargantuan corpse toppled forward. The ground shook like an earthquake, a feeling Manhattan hadn't experianced since the warm fall morning in 2001.

For a while everything was silent, marines and Blackwatch hovering overhead. Each asked the same question- What had become of Mercer. Their questions were soon answered as talons thrust forth from the creatures abdommen, tearing outward to reveal a humanoid figure. Mercer gasped for air, crawling free from the fowl corpse and dragging himself away a few feet. He'd shifted back to the identity of Alex Mercer, clothed and breathing hard. The talons vanished, leaving the man drained and weaponless. His eyes closed, sure he'd be gunned down any second now by the squads of armed men overhead.

..But to his suprise, he heard no gunfire... Instead he heard.. cheering? At first it was just one guy, clapping and shouting but before long it was an entire chorus. The news chopper circled over head, shining a floodlight on the victor.

"--Yes we're live from the airspace over Gen-Tek, the coorperation responsible for the viral outbreak. What you've just witnessed ladies and gentlemen is something beyond the normal realm understanding. We believe the man you see now is Dr Alexander Mercer- the man wanted in connection with the release of the virus that ravaged Manhattan." The news woman shouted into her microphone as the camera zoomed into Mercer. The world watched as he finally rose to his feet, head raising to give a wayward glance to the choppers. Then he began to walk, approaching the first floor of the building before crouching low.

Dana rested in her hospital room, a series of devices and machienes monitoring her vitals. She watched the tv overhead and held her breath. The camera tracked the man's movements as he leapt a good 10 stories, latching onto the building and hurling himself upwards with violent force. The chopper dared fly closer, floodlight and camera watching intently.

Watching as Mercer approached the table- and the little white bundle. Its contents was anyone's guess-- except Dana's. She felt her heart leap.

Alex lifted the bundle, two fingers pulling back a segment of cloth to reveal the face of his baby girl. A smile graced his lips, eyes lighting up as he nudged her little face.

She didn't respond. Very gently he jostled the bundle, still no cry. His smile faded, excited eyes going grey as the realisation sunk in.

Slowly he replaced the veil over the childs face and made his way to the back of the Gen-Tek building. For a split second, the cameras and floodlight lost sight. That was all Mercer needed to vanish completely. Every chopper circled around but he was nowhere to be found.

Alex Mercer had just.. vanished, just as he did in the fall of 2009.