Chapter 21

The hall echoed with the click of Sabrina Galloway's heel as she marched down the hall, flanked just slightly behind her by her two personal guards. They said nothing with their eyes straight, never diverting to look at that shapely rear that swayed with each step. They were processed better.

Her march took her to the secured room which was again guarded by two Hyper-Zoanoids, each standing at rest with their hands behind their backs. One was pale and tall with veiny ridges running across his forehead with short brown hair. The other had a slight buzz on either side with a small Mohawk forming down the center. The one with the Mohawk stepped aside to allow her to enter the pass code. Once finished with the ten digit code, the door slid open and she stepped inside, the door closing behind her. She didn't need her guards to go any further. There was no threat in that room to worry over.

The room was brightly lit with ceiling luminescent and computer monitors. Sitting in front of a terminal going over his latest tests was Doctor Bradley Ragland. He wore the same, simple white scrubs that all the scientists wore under Chronos' control. Aside from the glasses and black shoes, there wasn't much else that the man had on him that stood out. He was the only occupant in the room upon her arrival and it was for a good reason: bait. Alex Mercer was coming and having Ragland alone was the perfect bait to lure the walking virus right into the clutches of Chronos.

"Dr. Ragland," Sabrina said as she approached, the tip of her finger lightly gliding across the man's shoulders. She ignored his attempt to shrug her off. "How goes your work?"

"Would be better if I wasn't constantly being pestered," he snipped, never taking his eyes of the readouts that scrolled down on the screen. "Isn't there someone you should be sleeping with at this hour?"

"It's the middle of the day, Bradley."

"Doesn't usually stop a woman of your 'needs'," he remarked, continuing to focus on the screen. He wasn't afraid of her. He'd seen far worst things than the woman behind him who at some point had to have slept her way to the top somewhere. Not to mention he was a bit more valuable than her so he wasn't scared of someone trying to hurt him.

Sabrina sighed. "True," she said. At another time she would have become angry with such a remark thrown at her, but that was the old Sabrina. The Gentek Sabrina. Chronos Sabrina was much more above that.

Ragland groaned and turned his attention from his work to the black haired woman who stood proudly over him. He scrunched his nose, hand raising to adjust his glasses as he blinked a few times to clear his vision. He had been staring at the screen for far too long. "If it isn't something important, I'm trying to work. Please leave."

"Can't do that. I came to bring you news," she said, circling the terminal, Ragland watching her as she did so. "Someone spotted a man fitting Alex Mercer's description not too far from here on a roof."

"Fits his usual style of scouting," Ragland admitted. He was shocked the moment he was told Alex Mercer was alive. Ragland was a smart man and knew why the genius gone virus had started to attack Chronos. It wasn't over being a hero for the people. It was far personal. Chronos had Dana. Coming to the Pillar's of Heaven was only a logical course considering he himself was there. Seeing that it took Mercer this long to decide to attack Chronos' North American headquarters told Ragland he had been doing some hunting.

She leaned down over his screen, arms resting on it's top surface. "You know he's coming for you."

Ragland didn't flinch. "I am aware." And was he. He was perhaps the only other person next to Dr. Barcas himself that knew of Dana along with her personal whereabouts. He was quite sure that the good doctor kept her within arms reach, considering the traces of Redlight coursing through her, courteously of Elizabeth Greene. How else was Ragland getting new samples spliced with Zoanoid DNA to try and interlock the two genomes. Of course, he was purposely causing the two to destroy one another or one to swallow the other. He wasn't about to let that man make more powerful monsters to control than he already has.

"Aren't you the least bit scared, Bradley?"

He hated how she talked to him like they were on good terms. The smirking bitch before him had personally lead Chronos through the front door along side Barcas when they took over. She willingly gave them any and all details of their work for the simple price of being able to sit a pedestal higher than others.

"Not in the slightest," he replied. "If I am to die by his hands, so be it. Not nearly enough of a price to pay for my sins." With that, he focused back to the screen in front of him, then to a tablet to the side where he input his latest research data.

"So overly dramatic, Ragland," she commented, watching him work. "But if we are going to go for the dramatics, any last requests? Steak dinner? Wine?… Some form of company?" She quirked a brow teasingly. "Surely a man like you has some kind of craving. When was the last time you slept with a woman?"

His eyes continued to dance across the screen, then to the tablet with his next piece of work. "Was before my wife passed away due to cancer." He only glanced at her for a second before looking to his notes. "Are you offering?"

"If I am?" Oh she wasn't really. Ragland was not her type. Too old. Too stuffy. Not enough 'meat' on him to satisfy her.

"Pass," was his only answer.

Sabrina frowned. "So quick to reject," she said, turning for the door. "Keep up the good work, doctor. Lord Barcas expects results."

Ragland paused, listening to the sound of her retreating heels, the hiss of the door opened and closing and the ping of it's locking mechanism. Looking back to the screen, he began to quickly clear 'useful' data, deleting and destroying all studies and works he had been devising and sabotaging for Chronos. Everything he had made was in his head. Any bit of useful information that he had given them, he was removing and would make sure they could never use it. He even erased all cache and cookies within the system, and on his tablet. Went so far as to remove the primary chip and snap it in two.

He moved to the next monitor and began to systematically removing all information. He had to move fast. Alex wouldn't be too long.

OOO

The hall was once again graced with the loud click-clack of Sabrina's heel as he strode down to the elevators, escorted by her two Hyper-Zoanoid guards. Not that she really needed them, but it was fun having two mountains of muscle following her about. She found the idea simply delicious.

As she approached, the elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal a standard Zoanoid soldier. One could easily tell by his uniform. Skin tight blue one piece with white gloves and boots with matching helmet and visor with a build in HUD. Even Sabrina found their uniform gaudy. Even the Hyper-Zoanoids who simply wore the blue one piece and boots. At least Blackwatch had a more intimidating look to them. Like wraths with glowing eyes. These soldiers that formed the working horse for Chronos looked more like something from an evil organization on a Saturday morning cartoon. She mentally shrugged. It wasn't her place to judge.

The Zoanoid grunt was pushing a cart with a single rectangular tray with a plastic lid. A simple meal from the cafeteria some twenty or thirty floors below. Must have been Ragland's meal time. As she approached, the grunt moved to the side and quickly saluted. As per her usual method, Sabrina didn't bother with a return to the military gesture. She simply reached out, a slim finger tracing across his chest in a teasing fashion. She continued on, cheshire smile on her face as she made for the elevator. The grunt moved on about his business, making his way towards Ragland's research room.

But something clicked in Sabrina's mind. She stared at the lone Zoanoid, watching him approach the secured door, flashing a tablet with his instructions and ID. The two guards examined the food, making some passing joke about how it looked good, but probably tasted horrible. The grunt said nothing, only nodded. She studied harder onto that one, single grunt. The world around them disappeared into black and she could only see him. And he turned, looking back at her… and smiled.

"Stop him!" she cried!

Four heads instantly whipped to Sabrina as she stood in the elevator, hand holding the doors to stay open as she pointed at the grunt pushing the cart. Before anything was said further, the 'grunt' grabbed the Zoanoid guard on the right, casually lifting him over as if he was a twig and threw him down the hall, colliding with both Hyper-Zoanoids and Sabrina, all four slamming into the back of the elevator.

The remaining guard turned, body shifting into his battle form till a hand gripped his face. The 'grunt' writhed in swirling red/yellow/orange tendrils before solidifying into the default form of Alex Mercer. Seemingly weak looking fingers punctured through hardening Zoanoid bone till Alex just ripped half of the skull off, leaving just the other half and it's jaw dangling from one side. The guard was dead before he hit the ground.

Alex turned to the door, hand digging into the edge as he easily pushed it aside. Immediately the alarms blared and Alex just looked up at the turning red emergency lights with an amusing glance before entering the room. His target was there, and hadn't looked any different from the last time he saw the good doctor. To Alex's surprise, Ragland didn't even bother to look at him, instead working diligently at the consol farthest from the door. Looking back at the door, Alex took it and slammed it back shut, twisting the metal to secure it properly. Zoanoids could still pry it open but it would at least slow them down slightly. Or maybe he did it out of some forgotten habit of self security. He shrugged that thought aside. Turning back he saw Ragland was still hard at work. "Been a while, Bradley," he said casually. "Been working hard?"

"Hard at trying to stop monsters from creating more monsters," he said offhandedly. He looked at Alex with a slightly amused look and then back to the screen. "Took you long enough."

Alex shrugged as he rounded the row of computers, seeing many of them flashing the red and white banner of a DELETED sign across the screens. "Traffic was murder," he answered back with little care.

"I thought they had viral detectors set up."

Alex gave a snort. "Those things? I have enough knowledge in me to make one that would actually work properly. They hardly know how to operate them fresh out of the box and it isn't hard to reprogram them to detect something like a cat instead of me." He took one last glance around the room before centering on the doctor. "We need to go, Ragland."

That caused the older man to pause and look to the walking virus. "Go?"

Alex nodded. "Yes. Go. I'm getting you out of here and as far away from Chronos as possible." He glanced back at the screens. "I see you've saved me some trouble of erasing any data they may have had on hand. Did you get down into the backup servers as well?" He looked back to the still frozen doctor, his jaw hanging slightly open. "What?"

"You're… not going to kill me?"

Alex for the most part looked a little hurt. "Why would I want to kill you?" He approached slowly till he stood next to the man. "You're perhaps the only person I can trust next to Dana." He placed a hand on his shoulder, and Alex was a bit surprised he didn't even flinch away. He half expected him to. "You took care of her, and helped me back in New York. The least I can do is free you from Chronos."

The man visibly sagged, and promptly fell from Alex's hand and into an awaiting chair. He slumped in it, hand raised and running down the front of his face. He shook his head, and chuckled a little, leaving Alex a bit put off. "This whole time I was thinking you were coming to consume me," he laughed. "I was hoping…"

"You were betting on me to kill you?" Alex now was insulted and approached, standing over Ragland as he looked up at Alex. There was no fear in the man. Alex had changed his vision, and there was no trace of him being a Zoanoid, so it had nothing to do with that. "Why?" he asked finally.

Ragland straightened, up, emotionally and physically as he adjusted himself in his chair. "When myself and other Gentek scientists were brought in, we came face to face with Dr. Barcas himself," he all but spat, looking off to the side. "He gave some long winded speech about Chronos and their power… it sounded like something from a cartoon. Went on about how the world had fallen and will rise again in some new form that we were going to help create, whether we liked it or not." He then proceeded to roll up the right sleeve of his coat, and presented his bare arm to Alex, who could easily see puncture marks and slight bruising that hadn't healed quite yet. "To force our complacency, he gave us each an injection. His own little concoction that helps keep men like me under his control without having to turn us into monsters." He rolled the sleeve down and slumped back in the chair. "And there is no cure. Only a weekly injection we get that keeps his virus from killing us in a slow death."

"Have you tried to find a cure?"

"Yes. All results were same. Negative."

"Radiation exposure," Alex suggested, his scientific mind starting to run, pacing slowly back and forth in front of Ragland. "Kill the infected cells over time."

Ragland shook his head. "The required amount needed would kill me before it killed the virus. And it's too far embedded into my system. It'd be like trying to remove the Blacklight from your body."

"Gene therapy."

"Not enough time. Not to mention I don't have a sample of the serum they use to keep us alive."

"Introduce a new virus."

"What, like you? I have a chance of turning into a new breed of monster than what they want, and you know it."

Alex was about to run off with another idea, but the room instantly went dark, save for a not so needed big screen monitor hanging on the wall. Both men turned to the screen, watching static snow till it snapped into clear view of an old, balding man with long white hair stretching from the sides and back of his head and what looked like a red jewel or egg in his forehead. A good portion of his face was hidden behind what some memories Alex had could only describe as an 'epic beard'. The stare all but screamed 'I'm superior to you' and his eyes danced from Ragland to Alex with a smug grin forming. "Professor Alex Mercer. We meet at least."

The voice clicked in his stolen memories and Alex looked to Ragland, seeing the man glare at the screen. Alex glanced back from beneath his hood, eyes narrowing. "Not quite, Dr. Barcas," Alex said, his body shifting into a familiar, yet long lost form to the elder Zoanoid. 'Charles Lane' adjusted his jacket slightly, before his body writhed back into the form of Alex Mercer. "We've met before."

The Zoalord scoffed, as if he wasn't impressed with Alex's power. "I had a feeling Lane was dead. Though I am curious as to when he died."

"Before Detroit," Alex answered simply.

"So you were Lane the entire time? Must have been hard for you."

"Having to deal with your voice when giving me orders for your petty experiments, yes," the virus remarked, crossing his arms.

The Zoalord frowned. "You had best watch your tone with me, boy," the old man spat, eyes glaring down at them as if he was some judging force. "You have no idea of whom you are speaking to and what power I wield."

"And you have no idea of how much I could care less," Alex retorted, arms dropping to his sides. He approached, and had the Zoalord been standing there in that room, Alex would still have approached and looked him dead in the eye. "You're just like every other power hungry monger who has too much already. The only difference is that you got them all beat."

"I expected more from you, Mercer," the Zoalord remarked, a displeased look on his face. "From one scientist to another."

It was Alex's turn to scoff. "Please." He paced slowly to the side, shadowed eyes glaring at the old man on the screen. "I could care less of similarities. I could care less about you," he said, a hand pointing at the screen. "I was more than willing to stay hidden from world and watch it burn by its own hands, but you and your lot decided to piss me off."

OOO

Three Zoanoid bodies were thrown from the elevator. Two impacted the floor while one hit the ceiling then down to the floor with the other two. Sabrina emerged. And non too pleased. One of her heels were broken and she had kicked it aside so bare feet stepped on smooth tile. Pants were torn, leaving one toned leg bare to the world. Jacket was gone with a disheveled blouse. Her eyes were glowing with fury. She quickly dug into her pocket and retrieved her cell. Hitting the security code, the entire building went up in alarm.

Down on the ground, the main doors slammed shut and locked with a slab of steel coming up. Windows were barricaded with steel bars. Major project room were on complete lockdown, whether they were occupied or not.

Sabrina glared at the sealed door where the walking virus stood just on the opposite side. Her ears picked up the roar of Zoanoid's feet barring down on the floor. They would come to the location of her signal she sent from her phone. Soon, numerous shapes and colors of shifted Zoanoids emerged around the corner and nearly filled the halls. Each one stared at the door.

"Make ROOM!" Sabrina bellowed, and all moved aside, spacing out by three Zoanoid spaces. She moved forward, eyeing each one. "Do not bunch together! Our target is capable of taking down multiple enemies in one go, so unless you and the man standing beside you wish to die in a pile, I say you keep your space. Converge when you have a CLEAR opening." She pointed to the front. "I want two bio-blasters up front and aimed at that door." Two Menzels moved forward, shoulder pods opening to be ready for use. They both took a knee and faced the sealed door. Any Zoanoid in front moved far back and out of the way so as to avoid being caught in the blast. It didn't go unnoticed by any of them the still steaming stain on the ground that used to be one of their own.

A resounding ding behind Sabrina signaled the elevator and out came the group of 'specialists' that came from New York. Gavein of course was up front leading his men. All unchanged. "Situation?" he asked as he stepped up behind Sabrina, pausing as he took in her state of dress.

"Pissed," she remarked, glaring back at the door. "Alex Mercer managed to get past security and is now in that room chatting with an old friend."

"Any casualties?"

"One guard and my clothes."

Dana rolled her eyes. "Order's ma'am?"

"We're waiting."

OOO

Barcas smirked. The kind one would usually find a pedophile would make when he saw some kid in a park. "Oh yes. You're sister." And Barcas didn't miss the slight shift in Mercer's stance. He was ridged. Arms at his side and fists balled tight. "Such a fascinating young woman, your sister is. Intelligent from what I've read about her. A shame she isn't awake. I would have loved to talk with her."

Seriously doubt that, Alex thought. Her use in 'bad English' would probably make you cringe. The small memory of his sister's voice brought a smile to him. It was short lived as he focused again on the Zoalord. "I know you have her, old man." He took a step forward, face still hidden by his hood but the burning viral glow from his eyes could be seen. If the Zoalord saw it, he didn't show it. He still stared down as if he was so superior. "You can keep the world. But you will give me back my sister."

Barcas still smiled, and then shortly laughed. It was a bit unsettling to be honest. "You think I would give up someone with such interesting genes. The virus that flows inside her body is astounding. I'd be foolish to give her up. Not when I can use what I find to create even stronger Zoanoids to serve our cause." That sick grin was still plastered on his face. "She's been a very important specimen to me."

A cracking nose caught the ears of Bradley, and the former Gentek scientist looked to the floor at Alex's feet. The polished tile was beginning to crack from under the hooded virus, spider webbing out as the weight of his mass was beginning to increase. Heat waves wafted from Alex and began to increase so much, Bradley had to step away. Didn't take a genius to understand what was happening. Barcas had made Alex angry, and it was showing. Even the glow in his eyes intensified…

"But I may be willing to make a trade," Barcas said.

As quickly as it began, the change in Alex stopped. The intense heat was gone, and the floor stopped cracking. Alex's head tilted slightly. "What trade?"

"You, Mercer. I want you."

"Alex," Bradley warned, stepping closer now that he could.

Alex raised his hand, turning slightly to Bradley then back to the screen. "Me?"

"You yourself are a rare specimen. One just as special as your sister." He had no idea how much Alex was hating him for referring to Dana as something as a 'specimen'. "Surrender yourself to me, and I'll forgo any experiments that involve Dana Mercer."

Alex's head dipped slightly in thought. He dropped his hand to his side and slowly approached Bradley. He stood still, continuing to process the situation and the ultimatum that Barcas had presented.

Bradley glared at the screen, and then back to Alex. "You know he's lying," he whispered. "The minute he has his hands on you and contained, he won't release Dana." He watched Alex's eyes flicker to him, and then back to the floor. "I know you have grievances with the world. I don't blame you. People like those from Gentek or Blackwatch are monsters, just like Barcas. They take people and make them into monsters, or torture them for their own form of sick amusement. He will try to make an army of you that he can control."

"He has Dana," Alex whispered. "Somewhere in this world he has her."

"And he won't give her back. You know this." He placed his hand on Alex's shoulder, but the virus didn't acknowledge it. "I'm not asking you to save the world." The hood shifted and the glowing eyes were gone, replaced by the gray colored eyes that showed the tiniest bit of humanity in them. "But I will ask you to stop men like them from making an army of unstoppable monsters at the risk of innocent people like your sister."

Alex remained silent for a few seconds before he turned the conversation. "You said you were expecting me to kill you. Why?"

Bradley's body sagged slightly. "I did everything I could to try and help her. To find a way to reverse whatever it was that Elizabeth Greene did to her. But I failed. And I failed to protect her. I couldn't stop them from taking her and I couldn't stop them from performing whatever atrocities they did to her."

"Do you have any idea where they may have her?"

Bradley nodded. "Maybe. But I know Barcas wouldn't go far without her. She's too important and you know it."

"So where he is, she is." He watched the older man nod, and looked away. "How long do you have till the serum they give you wears off."

He shook his head. "Day or two."

Alex's head dipped, and his hand rested on Bradley's shoulder. He took in a deep breath. Not one he really needed but it was something more of a habit really. "I'll make it quick." He patted Bradley on the shoulder once, and watched the man straighten up. His hands fell into the pockets of his lab coat and he just glared at the screen that held Barcas' face.

OOO

Barcas had stood silently, waiting for a reply. Refused or not, he would have both Alex and Dana in his custody for his work. It would just save them so much trouble if Alex were to just surrender.

He watched Mercer speak with Bradley, obviously looking for a conscious decision. He wouldn't find it there. At least to Barcas he wouldn't. The man had nothing to give.

A minute or so passed, and Barcas was beginning to become annoyed. But Alex moved away from Bradley, who seemed to gain something from the two speaking. His posture was straight and he stared at Barcas. There was a resolve there that Barcas hadn't seen before. When they spoke, the man always showed some form of annoyance or burning hatred, but was powerless to do anything. Now he looked at Barcas as if he had something that could do the old Zoalord harm.

And the sudden movement from Alex diverted Barcas' focus from Bradley. His arms instantly writhed and shifted into his claws. With a single swipe of his right claw, Bradley's head flew up. Before the first bead of blood could hit the floor, before the body ever began to sag, before Barcas' eyes stopped widening to the point it looked cartoonish, Alex's body burst into tentacles. They instantly snatched up Bradley's body and head and dragged them into Alex's main body, his form writhing in glowing tendrils before solidifying back into Alex's form.

OOO

When Alex finished the consumption, he forgone the usual dive into the victims memories, saving them for later. His glare settled on the screen of Barcas and he stepped forward. He balled his fists as he locked eyes on Barcas, glowing crimson with a swirl of yellow/orange at the edge.

"This is what's going to happen, old man," Alex said. "You're going to tell me where Dana is. She will be unharmed. She will be alive. After I get her, I disappear and you will never see or hear from me again."

Barcas sneered. "How dare y…"

"IF!" Alex shouted, and the floor all but shattered completely under the sudden shift in mass. "If she is harmed! If she is dead!" The waves of heat flowed off of Alex in a manifestation of his growing anger. "There will be no place you can run. No place you can hide." His body shifted, glowing tendrils coiling over his torso. "Now where is she."

"You dare threaten me!" Barcas screamed, his beard and hair raising slightly to the shift of the gravity around Barcas as his anger grew. Never had anyone beneath a Zoalord made such demands or threats, and the second oldest Zoalord wasn't going to stand for it.

"I dare," was Alex's response. "So last chance. Where's Dana?"

"Your insolence will be her undoing! You will never see your sister, Mercer."

Alex's body trembled. The tendrils shifted faster and faster as something deep within the Blacklight virus was ready to be unleashed. Alex's eyes burned brighter as he snarled, arms raising and crossing his chest. "I'm going… to kill…" He struggled slightly, but his eyes didn't leave Barcas. "All of you."

The last thing Barcas saw from his screen was Alex's body burst into massive tendrils before one smashed into the camera and left him staring into static…

To Be Continued…

So it begins. Alex has officially made his declaration of war on Chronos and is about to fuck everyone up. And there will be blood. Lots of it.

Alex rushing 5: I couldn't very well make Blackwatch out to be heroes after everything they did in the first game. Have to have the fans remember, they may be attempting to try and fight back against Chronos, but they aren't the good guys.

Steven Nichols: I'm glad you liked the reunion. And who will be the next Guyvers? Who indeed? Should they be female? Male? And what colors? How many blades? The possibilities are endless. And yes, Sean will meet them. Just a few chapters away but he will.

Creeves59: It was hard for me to write it too. I kept trying to come up with a way to NOT do it, but I felt something like this needed to happen.

OMACC001: Hope you enjoyed this. :3