DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SERIES/COVER ART INVOLVED WITH THIS STORY.

THAQIF: We are approaching the conclusion, yes, but it won't be in the next chapter. Rest assured, it will come soon (unless something horrible happens to me in real life).

Chapter 55

Men Like Gods Part 2

Alex mentally cursed himself as the Goliath approached. Of course Pariah wouldn't bother playing 'fair'! He had been a fool in assuming that it would continue fighting him one-on-one if it detected a chance of losing. He glanced at Pariah as it walked out into the street. It watched him with its arms crossed over its chest, its head slightly cocked and its eyes narrowed.

Alex gritted his teeth.

Alright, the Goliath shouldn't be too difficult to kill. Ares knew the thing—even helped to create it—so killing it shouldn't prove too much of a challenge. However…

His gaze didn't leave Pariah.

THAT thing is still there. I can't afford to divide my attention between Pariah and the Goliath. If both of them attack at once, I can't fight them together. It'll be one or the other, and I can't give Pariah anything less than my full attention.

Another thought struck him.

Why the Goliath? We're literally surrounded by Evolved, each of which would make for a better partner in a fight. Why call in something so huge and clumsy?

The Goliath lumbered on, sluggishly approaching him. Its shoulders crashed through the sides of buildings, unbalancing entire structures by merely walking into them. Its left arm resembled a giant Hammerfist—one that was larger than a tank. Its other arm ended in a sharp stump, as though the hand had been removed and the remaining flesh had been sharpened to resemble a knife.

Ares hadn't known the specifics behind its creation, but he knew this: it was strong. Physically, it possessed sufficient strength to pin a Prototype to the ground with that small stump alone, proven when Ares had tested the beast's strength some time ago. The Hammerfist, on the other hand, possessed a level of strength that the sharper limb couldn't even compare to.

As the Goliath came within attacking range, it lifted the signature Hammerfist into the air before slamming it back down, utterly demolishing the ground upon which it landed. It rushed forward, using the Hammerfist like a giant sweeper as it moved, pushing aside anything that ended up in its way, both living and inanimate. Alex hissed as he turned to Pariah, using his ears to judge the distance between himself and the Goliath. The creature made a horrid amount of noise, and tracking it by sound would be enough to pinpoint its location.

When he saw Pariah, he did a double take. The creature was casually sitting on a rooftop, curiously watching him as the Goliath approached. Alex stared in disbelief, wondering what could have possibly driven Pariah to choose such a course of action. Allowing him to fight the Goliath would almost surely result in him killing the beast, and if it wounded him, the Evolved watching would believe that Pariah required assistance to kill him; that might have hurt Pariah's image and reputation.

So why use the Goliath?

He was pulled from his thoughts as the sound of the Goliath's approach turned into a thunderous crashing noise. He whirled around to see the creature was almost at his rooftop. Alex dove off the rooftop as the Goliath slammed into it, tearing through the building as though it were nothing. Alex spared a glance at Pariah only to see that it still hadn't moved.

This is crazy. What on Earth is it planning? Calling in reinforcements like this would be seen as a display of weakness, a display of inability to face me alone! Why would Pariah try this?!

A deafening roar broke his train of thought once more, forcing him to realize that Pariah's motives may not be the main issue at hand at the moment. The Goliath was charging again, crushing whatever stood in its path under its massive weight. Alex realized that the surrounding Evolved must have been changing positions by now to avoid being caught in the crossfire between himself and the Goliath.

He jumped, soaring out of the way of the Goliath's charge. As the beast came to a halt, it turned to face Alex again. He, meanwhile, glared at it, attempting to figure out the quickest way to kill it while still constantly glancing at Pariah. Suddenly, his attention was brought back to the Goliath as it raised its Hammerfist so high that its entire body bent backwards as the Hammerfist weight it down.

Alex gawked, wondering how the creature's spine hadn't snapped. Then, with a heave, the Goliath swung its Hammerfist in a giant arc over its head before slamming it down on the ground as Alex descended to the street.

The result was like a Devastator in the form of a punch.

Hundreds upon hundreds of spikes erupted from the ground towards him in a giant cone, like a supercharged version of his own attack. Alex jumped, but the spikes just kept extending. They rose hundreds of feet into the air, following him. Before Alex could react, one spike, easily larger than his entire body, speared him through the chest, eliciting a cough from him. More spikes were rapidly rising towards him, and he knew that if any more of them ripped through him, they would weaken him enough to let Pariah consume him.

He had to act now.

His Armor wouldn't stop these spikes and would only slow him down at this point. It wasn't strong enough to repel this creature's attacks, so the best option would be to lose it. Without hesitating, Alex willed his Armor to melt from him, melding back into his body as it softened. Alex's arms transformed into Claws and he dug into the spike, moving as fast as possible. He forced himself off by pushing against the spike, and the moment he could, he dove off the massive cone of hardened biomass.

He plummeted towards the earth, arms tucked in at his sides for more speed. Massive spikes rose past him as they attempted to impale him, but he hit the ground before they could touch them. He whirled around to face the creature, watching as it raised its massive Hammerfist.

An idea came to him as he saw its small, exposed feet.

*Page Break*

It watched with curiosity as its enemy battled the Goliath. The Evolved were moving, separating themselves from the commotion to avoid being consumed by ZEUS. It had called upon its Goliath the moment ZEUS had attempted to blend in with its Evolved.

It would not stand for that. The Evolved were its creations, not ZEUS'. The Evolved understood the Goliath to be a necessary distraction, something to keep ZEUS occupied while they ran. Yes, they were the weak ones. The moment ZEUS tried to take its Evolved, they had become a liability, a weakness. They had to leave before ZEUS could take them. It was confident in its ability to stop ZEUS whether or not he consumed the Evolved, but the Evolved knew things ZEUS didn't need to know. The information they held was more powerful than the strength they wielded. It couldn't care less for the measly displays of physical prowess the Evolved could put on—they knew not what true power was.

ZEUS was the only one capable of rivaling it in that regard, and even he was weaker. Nothing would surpass it. It wouldn't allow that.

And so it had ordered the Evolved to leave. Meanwhile, it could watch ZEUS as he battled the Goliath, and it could analyze his attack patterns without interruption. Not that it truly needed to, but it wished to make an example of him. It would crush him without remorse, and it would do it with the least effort possible. That way, the Evolved would truly understand what it was, and any notion of rebellion would be crushed, just like ZEUS.

It was Pariah, after all. None would compare. None could.

*Page Break*

The Whipfist was forming on his arm almost before the thought itself. As the Goliath bent backwards, its own Hammerfist weighing it down, its thin, wobbly legs were exposed. Each was larger than a man, but still incredibly stubby compared to the rest of the body. Alex pulled back his arm, aiming at the left leg. The Goliath was beginning to heave the Hammerfist over its head once more, preparing to do the same attack that had speared Alex through the chest.

He wouldn't let it.

He threw his arm forward, allowing his Whipfist to extend as it rocketed towards the Goliath's leg. The bladed tip of the weapon slammed into the leg, burrowing itself into the flesh, sinking deep into the limb. The Goliath howled, its Hammerfist sinking back down as its strength and balance were momentarily impaired. Alex charged, running right between the Goliath's legs. Once he passed through, he skidded to a stop, whirling around and charging back, but around the left leg.

The chain of his Whipfist was wrapped around the leg now, and with a mighty heave, he yanked on the weapon, the chain and blade ripping through the Goliath's leg. The beast roared as it came crashing down to the ground, unable to support its own weight on its remaining leg. Alex smirked as the Goliath fell, but blinked in confusion when it immediately began moving again.

There was no hesitation, no form of self-preservation instinct kicking in as the Goliath began using its oversized arm to haul itself into position on its stomach. The virus flooding its body commanded that it obeyed Pariah's orders, and whatever they were, they seemed to include the Goliath fighting regardless of the injuries sustained, even if they ended up tearing the creature apart.

Alex bent his knees, entering a combat stance as he analyzed the creature.

It's large and slow—if I can figure out a pattern to its attacks, I may be able to exploit weaknesses that become vulnerable to counterattacks…If it's going to be crawling, I could—

Like some possessed beast, the Goliath suddenly lurched forwards, crawling at speeds that should have been impossible for something of its size. Alex actually shouted in surprise when it approached, its arms moving in jerky, unnatural motions. Before he could react, the creature was upon him, lashing out in an attempt to hit him. Unlike the last few times, it didn't attack with its Hammerfist; it attacked with its other arm.

The small, shriveled up appendage swung through the air like a scythe, slamming down upon Alex from above. The razor-sharp tip tore through his back, pinning him to the ground. He wheezed as he was yanked up and thrown away like a toy, flying through the air before slamming into a building. The Goliath gave another roar before charging again.

What in the fuck?!

Ares' memories had not shown this thing to be that fast! Whatever Ares had known about the Goliath was probably relatively inaccurate now, seeing as the monstrosity was so much faster than he had ever known or dared to believe. Alex coughed as he hauled himself out of the pile of rubble that had formed around him as a result of his crash landing.

Is this what Pariah is truly capable of? Supercharging Infected like this? If this is what it can create on its own, what could it do with DNA it gets from ME?

Whatever Pariah had become, it was far more dangerous than he had considered. Battle strength aside, if Pariah was capable of making a Goliath this fast, it would be able to make itself nearly invincible with his DNA…

Alex was torn from his thoughts as he saw the massive Hammerfist of the Goliath rapidly approaching the building. Eyes widening, he whirled around, diving forwards and running on all fours for a second as he steadied himself before sprinting at full speed. He jumped out a window as the Goliath's fist crashed through the building, demolishing the structure and sending it crumbling to the ground. Alex glanced over his shoulder as he glided away, watching as the Goliath rumbled after him with that twisted crawl of its.

Look for a good moment to counterattack…

The Goliath rushed at him, raising its shriveled limb and swung it like a scythe once more. This time, however, Alex was prepared. As the limb came down, he dove out of the way, watching as it burrowed into the ground. The Goliath began struggling as it tried to tear the sharp end of its arm out of the street, but at that point, Alex was already acting.

Leaping into the air, he allowed his Blade to form on his hand before plummeting to the ground, holding the Blade over his head. He swung forwards as he approached the Goliath's trapped limb, aiming his Blade down at the swollen appendage. His aim proved true, and the Blade sunk deep into the flesh, cutting all the way through the bone. In an instant, the limb was severed, and the Goliath stumbled back—or crawled back, seeing as it couldn't stumble without its leg.

Alex prepared to press on, but paused when the Goliath began twisting its body to face him once more. Then, to his surprise, it began crawling back, putting distance between itself and him. It was when the creature began bouncing in place that Alex found himself truly confused. His lips parted slightly as he squinted, trying to figure out just what the Goliath was doing. Suddenly, in an act that defied his understanding of physics, the Goliath threw itself into the air.

Time seemed to slow as the gargantuan beast flew hundreds of feet into the air, surpassing even Alex's jumping abilities. "Oh," he breathed as the Goliath reached the arch of its jump.

"SHIT!" he roared as it descended.

His instincts taking over, Alex turned to run. His legs began moving at their maximum speed almost instantly as he desperately tried to escape the shadow that was quickly growing around him. With a final dive, he was out of the shadow, and barely a second later, a thunderous crash went off behind him as the area was blanketed with dust and smoke. He covered his face with his arms to avoid potential damage to his eyes. The shockwave produced by the fall lifted him off his feet and sent him flying across the street, bouncing a few time before he finally came to a stop, digging his fingers into the flesh-covered road while holding his head low.

The shockwave finally faded, leaving behind nothing but dust. He could hear pieces of debris falling, and in the distance, he could hear a large mass moving.

What the fuck just happened?

This Goliath was either much stronger than it was before, or it was an entirely different specimen that what Ares had encountered. Because, if anything, it should not have been able to do that. But apparently, defying logic seemed to be this Goliath's specialty. Despite what it had just done, Alex could see the Goliath beginning to move again. He could see its silhouette moving through the smoke and dust, searching for him. Alex gritted his teeth as he scrambled away as quietly and as quickly as possible.

The Goliath continued blindly blundering about as it searched for Alex. The hooded Prototype cursed when he ran into something, letting out a loud metallic clanging sound. He could hear the Goliath turning to face him, and the sight of its silhouette moving around confirmed it. The creature began crawling forwards, but unlike the last few times, it didn't move in that outrageously fast crawl—rather, it moved slowly, carefully. The arm he had cut through had been reduced to a bloody stump at the end of the limb, and as he watched, said limb reached out, waving around through the smoke as dark blood spilled from the wound over the street with wet splats.

Alex silently rolled out of the way when the limb came dangerously close. He activated his Infected Vision for a better view of the Goliath, but the moment he activated it, everything exploded into shades of bright yellow and orange. The sudden explosion of color left him momentarily blinded as his power deactivated. However, in that moment, something large hit his side.

Something that felt suspiciously like the limb of the Goliath.

Alex stumbled as the limb made contact, all while the Goliath sprang into action, quickly lurching forwards to kill him. Alex, acting on instincts, listened to the sounds of its approach and dove out of the way as its weaker limb smacked the spot he had stood in. By now, his sight was returning to him, and he could see the Goliath's silhouette again. And what he saw caused him to curse again. The creature was raising its oversized Hammerfist in preparation to attack, relying on the size of the attack to hit him, rather than its accuracy.

Alex turned and ran, once again forced to temporarily flee as the Goliath prepared its attack. He heard its fist slam into the street behind him as he finally exited the smoke and dust kicked up by its previous attacks. He glanced around him, searching for Pariah, only to pause when he realized something.

The streets and buildings are covered in viral matter. Activating Infected Vision showed me all this infected biomass hanging everywhere, thus blinding me. Which means Infected Vision is next to useless as long as we're in this viral wasteland.

He turned back to the Goliath, now crawling out of the smoke and dust. It locked eyes with him before it slowly began bouncing in place.

But this time, Alex knew what was coming.

*Page Break*

It could see it now. The pattern that existed in ZEUS' movements had become clear to it, opening countless new possibilities in the ways it could fight him. It had once read that fighters inevitably enter a pattern in their movements. Small, nearly undetectable movements in the muscles would follow a pattern, and when that was deciphered, greater movements, such as punches and kicks, could be anticipated.

Little quirks about him, such as facial expressions or where his eyes would look, told plenty about when and where he would strike. The countless years' worth of memories it had had taught it how to be patient and observant. A fight could be ended far quicker if the opponent was understood. And now, it understood ZEUS far better than he understood it.

Such observations were nearly impossible for a human to make, and it doubted even ZEUS could exhibit such levels of concentration and patience. He could be brash, impatient, foolish even. It was calm, patient, and clever; it would defeat ZUES, and then it would become invincible.

The Goliath threw itself into the air once more, but it could already tell by the calm look on ZEUS' face that he knew what he was doing. The Goliath plummeted towards the earth, but ZEUS removed himself from the area, escaping the damage done by the Goliath. It could see the Goliath as it struggled to stand—or at least bring itself into a position where it could fight back. ZEUS, on the other hand, was running towards it, a Blade on his arm.

It understood that he had a plan, or was at least confident in his ability to win. This confidence didn't exist moments ago, and now, it knew that it needed to intervene. The Goliath was a test, yes, but it wasn't willing to part with its pet just yet. The Goliath had so much potential left, and it wouldn't allow that potential to be wasted.

Pariah leapt off its rooftop as it moved to intercept its enemy.

Explanations/Clarifications

Buffed Goliath: I made it stronger because this time, Pariah is running the 'evil villain' show, not Alex Mercer. On top of that, my version of Pariah is stronger than Prototype 2's version of Alex Mercer, so it has superior DNA to him, and because it has existed longer, it has more experience.

Pariah's P.O.V: I wanted to explain what Pariah was attempting to do with the Goliath, but if Pariah just went up to Alex and said, "Yo, I totally figured out your patterns of movement, wanna 1v1?", it would give Alex reason to actively try and change the way he fights, perhaps by changing his form to something else in order to make himself less predictable. So, I had Pariah throw some of its own thoughts into the mix to inform readers while keeping our protagonist in the dark.